Through the Eternal Return
by Sparky Cola
Summary: Where was the Doctor during Children of Earth? The Doctor now must race against time to find Jack and save the Earth. CoE re-imagining/fix-it.
1. Prologue

Title: Through the Eternal Return (Torchwood/Who crossover)  
Rating: PG-13 to be safe, although it's pretty tame  
Summary: After his second encounter with the 456, Jack leaves Earth to escape his memories and begins his search for redemption. In the meantime, the 13th Doctor visits 28th century Earth and finds that things have gone horribly wrong. He soon discovers that it all leads back to five fateful days in early 21st century Britain. Now he must race against time to right past wrongs and save the Earth.

Characters/Pairing: Jack/Ianto; otherwise, gen.  
Spoilers: Children of Earth, nothing specific in Doctor Who.

Length: 59 chapters. 58,360 words. Complete.

Disclaimer: Any recognizable entity within the story is the property of its intellectual owner. No profit is being made from the use of these entities.

Note: This is my first fanfic in nearly 10 years, first time writing Torchwood (obviously), the first project to go over 900 words, and from my first time doing NaNoWriMo. Fic is complete so I will try to update daily although I am a graduate student and my time is no longer my own. Also, story has not been edited or beta'd, mainly because I am too busy reading until my eyes bleed for school. I'd like to think it is readable but please don't hesitate to leave constructive criticism. I know what I think I need to improve upon and advice is always welcome.

Prologue

Eternal Return

What, if some day or night a demon were to steal after you into your loneliest loneliness and say to you: 'This life as you now live it and have lived it, you will have to live once more and innumerable times more' ... Would you not throw yourself down and gnash your teeth and curse the demon who spoke thus? Or have you once experienced a tremendous moment when you would have answered him: 'You are a god and never have I heard anything more divine.' [341]

• The Gay Science: With a Prelude in Rhymes and an Appendix of Songs by Friedrich Nietzsche; translated, with commentary, by Walter Kaufmann (Vintage Books, March 1974)

When a person has experienced a sufficient amount of pain and trauma in his or her life, it is only natural for that person to try to reinvent themselves. To try to escape from the unending pain of memory. When that pain lives inside of you, is so deeply a part of who you are and who you become, can you ever truly escape from it? Or will it haunt you? Will every man in a suit, every whiff of coffee, the sight of an overcast sky, the color of your eyes in the mirror bring it back to you?

Does one ever escape their lonely, sad, angry, disappointed moments? Or do they follow us forever, hiding in the deep recesses of memory, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike and bring us to our knees, the strength of emotion brining us to our knees?

Can our happy, joyful memories ever do the same?

Or are our negative emotions too strong to allow any other feeling to share its crevices and hiding places in our minds? Are we doomed to live in fear of suffering through our sorrows at the slightest hint of memory but search vainly for the pleasures from our lives until the day we die?

Does the inevitability of suffering and search for happiness make us human or drive us away from our humanity when we need it the most?


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The TARDIS

Somewhere in the Time Vortex

21st century (approximately)

Jumping around the control room of the TARDIS, the Doctor flipped a few switches and turned back to his Companion.

"Right. Where were we? Ah…yes, the Viscountess of Perdin. Fascinating woman, really. Ruled the territory that I suppose would correspond to what Earth humans would correspond to those lands held by lords in feudal times for 2 patsens, or rather 3 generations of her people. Serfs and all that rot." The Doctor shrugged carelessly and continued. "Anyway, she had a massive collection of silver forks. Whole rooms of them. Employed teenage virgins--in the belief that they were the best able to maintain the purity of her collection-- to come polish them every day. Once they finished, they had to start all over. Thousands of silver forks. Certainly enough to create a very interesting sculpture of some sort...I'm sorry, what did you ask me?"

Sarah rolled her eyes in fond exasperation and repeated, "Why do you always wear red Converse running shoes with your blue suit? Wouldn't it make more sense to wear black or white or blue or, I don't know, NOT red?"

Wounded and feeling defensive, the Doctor defended his trainers, "What is wrong with red trainers? They are very comfortable, perfect for running from all sorts of troublesome situations, angry dwarves with canes, shockingly rude playwrights who do not appreciate a fine eye for art, famous British queens who apparently hold grudges. What would you recommend I wear? Snow boots? Clomp around time and space in snow boots?"

"Oh, of course not! Wear your trainers. I have no problems with your trainers. I have a problem with red trainers. No one needs to wear red trainers. They are entirely impractical. They don't match anything you wear and they are terribly memorable. How can you blend in with red trainers?"

The Doctor looked over the center console with a grin. In delight, he responded, "I don't wear red trainers to be practical or to blend in. I like them because they stand out. I would be horribly bored if I only wore sensibly colored trainers. Why, I'd be like every other bloke running about. But red trainers. That's something different entirely."

Admitting defeat gracefully, Sarah changed topics, "So, what are the odds of going to see the Viscountess of Perdin's silver fork collection? 'The Universe's Largest Flatware Collection' seems like a must-see stop on a tour of time and space."

Sidling around the console the Doctor frowned and tried to figure the logistics of making a detour to 92nd patsen Perdin when a light on the console began flashing mauve.

"Oh dear," said the Doctor in alarm, "a mauve alert. That isn't a good sign."

"Doctor?"

"It looks like Earth has run into a bit of trouble. Again." The Doctor signed in consternation. "How is it that every bit of trouble seems to find that little blue planet? It seems like I look away for just a moment and they have another catastrophe. A Time Lord has a full time job looking after you humans."

"Should we go check it out? The TARDIS seems to thing it's quite important."

"Oh, no. Not at all. It's probably nothing. UNIT or Torchwood will have it all under control. There is no need to spoil your holiday. I have it on good authority, myself that is, that Torchwood Three can handle a variety of alien threats. I highly doubt Jack would appreciate my meddling in his town. Again…." The Doctor paused, seemingly caught in a thought before continuing. "Besides, there's one of me and a whole universe to travel. It'll do them good to tough it out. Now where were we?"

"Talking about a holiday. Are you sure Torchwood can handle it?"

The Doctor waved his hand dismissively, walking towards the wardrobe on the TARDIS. "Quite sure. Now come on. The Viscountess mandated that all who enter her presence must wear a particular shade of violent yellow. I have just the perfect pair of trainers….are you coming?"

With a final glance back at the console, Sarah turned to follow him. Suddenly his words penetrated her brain.

"YELLOW TRAINERS! You have YELLOW trainers. How many times did your mother drop you on your head as a child? My God."


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Thames House

London, England

September 8th, 2009

In a swirl of blue, Captain Jack Harkness strode through Thames House, an uncharacteristically battered and rumpled-suited Ianto Jones at his side. Entering the building, they kept their arms in the air, weapons visible as the security agents kept their guns trained on the two men.

"Jack Harkness. Ianto Jones. We're Torchwood." Jack dared them to act as he and Ianto slam the pistols on the reception table.

Pushing past the security guards, and ignoring the fact that they were at the heart of the government that had spent the last three days trying to kill them, they moved towards the elevator, passing through to the top floor of the building. The floor in which the representative of the 456 were holding the human race hostage with their demands. The floor in which all of this would come to an end.

Jack had reached his limit. He submitted to their disgusting demands once and the trusting looks of those children walking to their doom still haunted him in his sleep. It was _his_ Earth they were trying to threaten and destroy with their chemical addiction. It was the Earth that he had sworn to protect. He spared a fond look at Ianto, it was for Ianto and everyone else that he could not let the 456 get by with abducting more children. There were just some horrors one never needs to know about or survive and he would do whatever it took to spare Ianto the kind of pain that complicity in offering children to the 456 would bring about.

Ianto looked at him and read the expression in his face. "I trust you, sir. You won't let them succeed." He smiled encouragingly at Jack.

Jack gave him a warm smile in return and they looked at each other anxiously as they waited to reach the top floor. Filled with anticipation, they turn to the opening elevator doors.

Handing a man a slip of paper he ordered, "I want you to direct a live feed to this number. Can you do that?" At the man's statement of agreement, he continued on down the corridor, both the man and Ianto at his side.

Facing the tank holding the alien representative, Jack decided to make his stand, Ianto standing next to him in silent support.

"I'm Captain Jack Harkness. I've dealt with you lot before. I'm here to explain why this time you aren't getting what you want."

Unimpressed, the 456 reminded him, "You've yielded in the past."

"And don't I know it." Jack responded, his self-loathing becoming anger. "I was there. In 1965, I was part of that trade. That's why I'm never going to let it happen again."

"Explain." The 456 refused to give an inch.

"There's a saying here on Earth, a very old, very wise friend of mine taught me it." Jack paused before continuing. "An injury to one is an injury to all. And when people act according to that philosophy, the human race is the finest species in the universe."

Ianto, to Jack's surprise, interrupted, "Never mind the philosophy. What he's saying is, you're not getting one solitary, single child. The deal is off."

Jack protested, "I liked the philosophy."

"I gathered that," Ianto shot back drily.

Despite the two men's united statements of rebellion against their demands, the 456 persisted, "You yielded in the past. You will do so again."

"In the past, the numbers were so small that they could be kept secret but this time that is not going to happen because we've recorded everything." Jack was relentless. "All negotiations, everything the politicians said, everything that happened in this room and those tapes will be released to the public.

"Unless you leave this planet for good."

"You yielded in the past." The alien paused and repeated, "You will do so again."

Despite Jack's angry statements about the power of humanity's anger and desire to protect their children, the 456 refused to acknowledge his refusal to cooperate.

Jack lost his patience, "We're adapting right now and we're making this a war."

"Then the fight begins."

Jack and Ianto looked at each other in confusion before looking back at the tank.

"We're waiting for your reply." Jack's voice was tight with anxiety.

The 456 continue unperturbed. "Action has been taken."

Hearing sirens in the building go off, Jack looked over at Ianto as all exits from the building slam shut.

"What have you done!" Jack forced out.

"You wanted a demonstration of war. A virus has been released."

A flash of terror hit Jack, made all the worse by Ianto's incomprehension of the situation.

"It will kill everyone in the building," the alien concluded.

Grasping Ianto's shoulders briefly, Jack brushed past him and orders employees to shut down the air circulation and distribute gas masks—anything to protect the people trapped inside from the poisonous air.

Ianto took out a gun. "If there is a virus, there must be an anti-virus. Release it now or I'll blow a hole in that tank." His voice is brittle with fear and anger. "And we'll all die together."

Jack joined him, aiming at the tank. "You made your point now stop this and talk."

"You are dying. Even now."

With the surety that years of fighting weevils, and other alien life forms, in the sewers of Cardiff imbued, they shot the chamber in an attempt to break the glass, emptying their clips in a fruitless effort to force a concession out of the 456.

Shocked and helpless as the glass remains intact, they watched in confusion as a high pitched noise emits from the tank. Jack turned to Ianto and in desperation told him, "We've got to get you out of here."

It hit him all at once.

Jack will revive but Ianto won't survive this.

Ianto looked at him. "It's too late. I breathed the air."

Jack filled with panic, "There's got to be something. There's got to be an antidote."

He tried to take it back, tried to convince the 456 to spare Ianto, begs, "Not him!" but to no avail. Ianto collapsed.

"No. No no no no no. Ianto. No." Pleading, he pulled Ianto towards him.

His arrogance and belief that he was invincible, that there was nothing he couldn't pull off. The realization that Ianto had trusted him to save them and instead had gotten him killed tore through him. Just like it had Toshiko and Owen. Just like so many others that he had come to love. Only this time, it was worse. This time, he had directly and thoughtlessly endangered the life of the man he loved because he was too impatient, too self-absorbed to be a good leader. To plan for all possible outcomes.

After over a century of watching Torchwood employees being treated as disposable, he had finally committed the one sin he swore would never happen. He allowed Ianto to die from his own carelessness. The pain searing through his heart vastly outmatched any discomfort caused by his organs slowly shutting down. The same discomfort Ianto was feeling.

"It's all my fault."

"No it's not." Ianto protested weakly. "I love you."

Jack's heart broke further by the admission. "Don't." He realizes that Ianto is slipping and begs him "Stay with me. Stay with me please."

"Don't forget me."

Jack promised, "Never could." He assured Ianto that no matter how many years pass, he will always remember him.

"Ianto. Don't go. Don't leave me. Please. Please don't."

As he saw the life slowly drain out of Ianto's clear blue eyes, he welcomed the encroaching blackness of his own vision. He welcomed the relentless emptiness on the other side. The freedom from existence and awareness. He wished he would never have to wake up and suffer this pain again.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Government facility

London, England

September 9th, 2009

Jack took a deep breath, sat on the cot in his cell, and closed his eyes. He wanted to scream, to cry, to lash out at the universe for the unfairness of Ianto's death but couldn't. There was no time for him to fall apart. Earth depended on his ability to focus on the crisis at hand. Later, when everyone was safe and sound in their beds with the memories of all this fading into myth and conspiracy theories, then he could grieve, he could feel what he has lost.

First he needed to destroy Ianto's killers. He looked at the four walls of his cell in disgust. Government posturing wasn't going to rid them of the 456. Locking him away wasn't going to change anything. He didn't need anyone's fear, anxiety, sympathy, hatred, blame. God knows he felt enough blame without them. What he needed now is revenge. To punish those who caused his suffering with suffering of their own. No price was now too high for him to pay if it means denying the 456 even one child from their demands. No price was too high to destroy them.

Jack sighed in frustration and put his head in his hands. Until he could get the hell out of here, there was precious little he would do to keep the government from selling every child to the aliens. He hated this helplessness. After over a century of first being a freelance agent and then the boss, being subject to someone else's inept command grated.

The metal partition build into the cell door slid down and then back up. Jack didn't even bother to look up. Rather, as the guard walked away, he laid down. He had nothing to say to anyone who would come check up on him. There was certainly nothing they could say to him that he would want to hear.

Shouting in the hallway caught his attention and he jumps up to see the commotion. Hours in the cell have passed uneventfully and now there seemed to be something big happening. Unable to see, he pressed his ear to the door when it opened and he faced with men dressed in black gear with guns.

"What's going on?" Jack demanded.

Rather than answer him, they grabbed his shirt front and pull him with them, ignoring his protests.

In a matter of seconds, they are gone, having left no evidence of their presence except for the sudden absence of one Captain Jack Harkness.

Handcuffed and taken to a helicopter pad, Jack becomes resigned to his fate. At least he is out of his cell. It's a step in the right direction. He'll see where they are taking him, and why, before he decides on his next move.

Arriving a new facility, he was surprised to see Alice and Steven. Steven seemed significantly more excited to see him than his daughter, as usual, running up to him to give him a hug.

"Uncle Jack!"

"Hey, soldier," Jack called out as Steven plowed into his legs. "Whoa…listen, stay with your mom, okay?"

The guards continue to escort him down the hall and Jack wonders if this is a new technique to gain his cooperation. He had known that they were in government custody. Are they now going to use their physical presence against him? He hears Alice's footsteps rushing to catch up.

Taken into a warehouse, he is set free from his handcuffs along with an older man who also seems to have been brought unwillingly. A female voice comes from the side addressing both of them.

"This should be everything that you need and if you need anything else, we'll find it."

It's the woman who had been hunting down Jack and his team days earlier. His suspicions grow.

"For what?" His voice is unfriendly as rubs his sore wrists.

"Wavelengths. The 456 are named after a wavelength and that's got to be the key to fighting back." She does not let the coldness in his voice deter her.

The older man speaks up, "You're wasting your time. There's nothing you can do. I've analyzed those transmissions for 40 years. They never…"

He is cut off by the woman shooting him in the leg. She has neither the time or patience for naysayers. Turning back to Jack, she squares her shoulders and asks, "What do you think, Captain?" Nodding towards Alice, "She told me you were good. Was she right?"

Jack, surprised that Alice had anything complimentary to say about him turned to Alice and gave her a thankful smile. Turning back the the woman he responded, "Let's get to work."

Removing his coat he turned towards to the equipment provided. Racing from console to console, keyboard to keyboard, he tried to crack the mystery of how to defeat the 456. His opportunity had been handed to him on a silver platter and he did not intend to waste it.

"Get me access to the Torchwood software."

In the process of connecting to the servers, Alice discovered that images of children being taken away were being illegally broadcast with a warning against letting children go.

Jack set his jaw. He would not let this happen. Ianto had died to prevent it and he was not going to disappoint his memory.

"If we cycle the wavelength back at them…" he explained to the woman while standing at a console.

"I know what you're trying to do," the other man interrupted, on the floor nursing his gunshot wound, "A constructive wave. You think people aren't working on that all over the world? It's never going to work. The effect will be like shouting at the 456. That is all. Just shouting."

Lost in thought, Jack asked himself, "Why did Clem die?"

The woman answered, "It was the 456, they killed him."

"Yes, but how did they do it? Why did they do it?"

The woman tried to help by retrieving footage of his death but Jack was not listening.

"His mind must have synced to the 456 back when he was a child but they didn't need to kill him because he wasn't a threat, unless maybe that connection hurt them."

She returned with the images and it was just what he needs.

"That sound, Mr. Dekker," he asked the older man, "What is that sound?"

"I don't know. It's new."

"Exactly." Jack replied. "It's new. We don't have to analyze the wavelength. Just copy it. Turn it into a constructive wave. But we have no way of transmitting."

Mr. Dekker disagreed, "Yes we have."

Jack knew exactly what he is suggesting and refuses to let him finish his thought. He lost Ianto but he is not going to lose Alice and Steven if he can help it.

"What does he mean?" the woman asked Jack.

"Don't listen to him."

"Dekker, tell me."

He answered, "The 456 use children to establish the resonance."

"Meaning what?"

"We need a child."

"What do you mean?" Alice broke in.

"Center the resonance." Dekker responded with a laugh. "That child is going to fry."

Alice looked at Jack in horror but Jack does not immediately respond.

"No, Dad. Tell them no. One child or millions," her voice cracked, "no. No. Dad, tell them no! No! No Dad!"

Jack couldn't let the 456 succeed. Everyone in the government was looking to save themselves, save their families, throw someone else under the bus so long as it didn't have to be their loved ones. But who were they to play God? How did one decide who can live and who can die? Was Steven's life more valuable than Ianto's niece and nephew, Mica and David? Was it worth letting millions of children be taken by the 456, letting them suffer endlessly, to spare one boy. One dearly loved boy? Was Steven's life worth letting those children go and the 456 unpunished? His purpose was to save the Earth, though, even when it seemed like they didn't deserve to be saved.

Alice, seeing the decision in his face, ran out of the room screaming Steven's name but was restrained as Steven was carried away.

Jack rushed again from console to console as Steven was deposited in the middle of a circle.

"What are you doing, Uncle Jack?" he asked innocently. "What's happening?"

Jack didn't respond.

"What do you want me to do."

Jack must focus. He had only one chance to get this right and he was determined not to fail. There is too much on the line now.

It's ready. He looked up at his only grandchild, eyes bright with tears, hearing Alice's screams from the hallway and Steven's scared face. Before he had time to stop himself, he hit the enter key.

It was done.

He saw Steven become overcome by the wave and he inserted the parameters for the transmission.

Steven began transmitting the sound, sending it out to all children so that every child in the world emitted the same sound. He began to shake and seize, blood rushed out of his nose and ears. The 456 are dying but so was he.

The woman can't bear to face it but Jack can't take his eyes away. He knew that he will never be able to escape the horror of this moment, and that he doesn't deserve to. It is all he could do not to sob with grief, the tears running down his face an insufficient marker of his sadness and self-reproach. He lost Ianto, now he is losing Steven, and his daughter. He saved the world but lost everyone he cares about in the process.

He would give anything for it to be different but it never can be. This is the price that he must pay. The sight of his daughter holding her son's body is one he never wants to witness again but knows that he never had a choice.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Grassy field

Oolioli Archipelago

93rd century

Stepping out of the TARDIS, the Doctor looked out on the grassy field with his penetrating green eyes.

"Looks all right to me. You can come out now."

A young, dark-skinned woman peeked around the door suspiciously, her braids brushing against her check.

"Are you certain? I don't fancy losing another pair of trousers."

The Doctor let out a rich laugh and began walking towards what looked like a settlement of some kind. Hari Nehti stuck her tongue out at him but ran to catch up.

"So, Doctor, what are we doing here? Doesn't really look like there is much going on here."

The Doctor gave her a sideways look and teased her, "What? You don't like to go for a walk on a beautiful planet on a sunny day? You'd rather go back and find more trouser thieves?"

"No. But I imagine that you would. You don't like quiet. You prefer wild crazy chases or impending doom. You don't do serene." Nehti stuck her chin out in a challenge.

This caused the Doctor to smile at her and he told her loftily, "I have hidden depths. You just haven't yet learned to appreciate them."

"Oh, of course," she replied with a teasing smile. "Deep as a puddle, you are." Nehti looked like she was about to continue when she suddenly let out a cry.

"Ugh…what _is_ that?"

The Doctor looked at the greenish grey goo on her shoe with intense interest.

"Hmm…doesn't look to be anything dangerous. It isn't burning through your shoes at any rate. Does your skin feel itchy? That could be a sign that it's trying to eat through your skin. _Is_ it itchy?"

"Not until you said that! Oh God. It's _moving_. The slime is _moving_. Get if off me!"

Her alarmed cries were in vain, seeing as how the goo was moving off her and back to the puddle of goo on the ground. Looking around, she found that the ground was covered in different shades of greenish grey goo. All of which were moving of their own accord.

"Doctor…what are they?"

The Doctor had pulled out his sonic screwdriver and was industriously studying the nearest puddle of goo.

"It seems to be the native life form for this planet. Interesting. It's sentient but I can't seem to find it's brain." The Doctor looked up. "That one you squashed doesn't seem to be to happy with you."

Nehti looked back down and saw that it seemed to be combining with other puddles to create a giant slime creature seemingly intent on threatening her.

"Oh dear." Nehti's eyes were as wide as saucers. "Doctor?"

"I think there must be some sort of queen goo creature. The only way I can think that these can be sentient creatures without some sort of visible brain is if they act through commands transmitted telepathically. Which means that their actions and experiences are process through another, independent creature some ways away from here."

"That's all well and good, but what do I do about the ones here and now!"

The Doctor looked over and saw that most of the goo aliens had joined and were attempting to engulf Nehti in a wave of green grey slime.

"Right then. Now, we run."

Nehti turned to follow but found that the goo had appropriated her shoes. She managed to kick them off before it advanced up her legs and hurried towards the TARDIS. She really liked those shoes, too. Traveling with the Doctor really did not mean good things for her wardrobe.

"Doctor! They're gaining on us!"

Sure enough, the goo spread out like water trying to trip them up and prevent their escape. The Doctor reached back, grabbed her hand and pulled her forward. He had an exhilarated grin on his face and laughed joyously.

"You're mad. You do know that, I hope?"

"But doesn't make you feel alive?"

"At the moment, I'd like to stay alive! It's still on our heels." The trusting look on Nehti's face, however, belied the severity of her words. Although she would never admit to it, she secretly agreed with him. She loved the adventure of traveling with him but she knew that she would never have the courage to do it on her own. Growing up as the shy second child of three girls on bustling commerce planet, she was unused to behaving independently and grew up having never met another type of non-human life form. His confidence gave her the ability to share his enthusiasm for new experiences and meeting new species.

The Doctor gave another jerk on her arm and she realized that she was slowing down. The sharp stones and pebbles on her bare feet made it increasingly uncomfortable to keep going but she knew that the alternative was not an option at all. She took a deep, fortifying breath and pushed on.

The goo caught up with them just when the TARDIS came in sight. Nehti could feel it squishing through her toes but the Doctor refused to release her grip. Leaping through the blue police box doors, she found herself in relative safety. She knew that the old girl wouldn't let anything happen to her beloved passengers. She watched as the slime that had clung to her feet let go and began sliding back out towards to mass of goo waiting on the other side of the doors. She shivered and resolved to take a long, hot bath at the first opportunity to wash the sensation of that gunk off her body.

Gasping for breath, she looked up at the Doctor who was looking at her, bright eyes shining and face alight with happiness. It was the expression he always had after a close call or a job exceedingly well done. It was the expression that always warmed her heart because it meant that they had done well.

She knew that it was the best time to ask the question she had been contemplating for awhile now. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Well then. I think we are in dire need of a snack after that big of misadventure. Don't you agree, Nehti?" The Doctor looked over at his Companion in hopeful expectation.

Nehti closed her mouth, took another breath and answered, "I don't know. Who's cooking? Because I refuse to eat anything that is still moving. I don't care how much of a delicacy it is on some moon out in the middle of nowhere."

The Doctor frowned at her, "Oh, you're no fun. Fine then. We can have plenty of suitably dead Jakorian meat patties. Does that satisfy you?"

"What color are they?"

The Doctor huffed, "Fine. We can eat salad. Plain, normal, average, human salad. Or rather, you can eat that tediously average salad and I'll make myself a snack fit for a Time Lord."

"Deal." Nehti followed him to the kitchen smiling and continued to tease him about his culinary disasters.

Once in the kitchen, the Doctor began assembling some sort of purple, scaly wrap filled with oddly colored and shaped food-like substances—not all of which appeared to be dead—while Nehti prepared a combination of fresh vegetables and alien vegetable substitutes for a salad.

As they chopped, sliced, and, in the Doctor's case, chased, their respective ingredients, Nehti worked up the courage once again to ask her question.

"Doctor, do you ever fancy taking a proper holiday?" was her timid enquiry.

"Proper holiday? What do you mean?" His dark eyebrows remained furrowed while trying to figure out how to keep the restless components of his food in their place.

"Like, going to a planet that doesn't have a hostile population or atmosphere, where there is no danger, and one can relax without the imminent threat of attack or need to run. You know. A holiday." Nehti couldn't bring herself to look at him, but if she had she would have noticed that the half of her attention not on catching his dinner was intrigued by the idea.

"Hmm..that sounds rather promising, actually." The Doctor made a noise of triumph at completing his wrap and taking a large bite out of it. Nehti winced at the flapping bits sticking out of the bottom. "What kind of holiday would you like to take?"

"I wouldn't mind spending time on a beach or perhaps visit a spa. Preferably some place that is not totally unfamiliar with humans. After 3 years of traveling time and space, one gets rather tired of hearing 'Oh my! Look at _that_ thing! How hideous!'" Nehti looked quite affronted at the memories of such instances.

The Doctor frowned then his face lit up with the force of his smile. "Oh I know just the perfect place. Twenty-eighth century Sabro. It's a resort planet founded by humans so you'll fit right in there. It was the first successful venture off the home planet that humans had. From there, humans decided to spread out into the galaxy. It has beaches as far as the eye can see in one direction and forests for hiking in the other. And it is specially designed to prevent discomfort, either from too much sun or little bitey insect things. It's the perfect place for a holiday!" The Doctor finished this exclamation with an eager look of anticipation on his face.

Nehti finished up chopping the last of her vegetables and shared his excited grin. "Sounds perfect! When can we go?"

"Well, the old girl will likely enjoy the break so I'd say I can get us there once you finish eating. Unless you'd rather wait until tomorrow?"

Nehti put down her fork and stared at him. "Why on Earth would I want to procrastinate a trip like that?"

With a knowing look, the Doctor just said, "Don't think I don't know about your secret wine stash next to the bath in your en suite. The stash you like to dip into after particularly exciting adventures."

Nehti huffed and returned to her meal. "Exciting? Not exactly what I have in mind for slimy goo creatures that steal shoes."

The Doctor chose to ignore this comment in favor of popping a wriggling magenta thing into his mouth. "Right then. Snack time over. Next stop: Sabro. If you need me, I'll be in the control room." And he left Nehti to her starry-eyed daydreams of massages and mud baths. And shopping. She should have asked if Sabro had shopping. Shoes don't just replace themselves. Neither do trousers for that matter. She frowned.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Various locales

Earth

September 9th, 2009 to March 13th, 2010

Settling back down on the wooden bench, back against the concrete wall, Jack let out a sigh. Alice turning her back on him was not unexpected but it still hurt. He was surprised that he had enough of a heart left after the events of the past five days to pain him. He had survived being blasted into bits and encased in concrete. He had lost his lover though incompetence and caused the death of his grandson. There was no place on this island that he can think of that would allow him to forget the lifeless eyes of his loved ones. The utter look of betrayal Alice gave him huddling over Steven's body. The guileless lack of betrayal in Ianto's eyes as he professed his love for Jack.

With a deep sigh, he set his shoulders and got up. The oppressive darkness and gloom of the hallway couldn't help his state of mind. Walking out the doors, he took in a deep breath of the cool air and realized that he had nowhere to go. His home, the Hub, had been destroyed days earlier and in the resulting chaos, he hadn't had the opportunity to find new lodgings. He supposed that he could rent a small flat until he came up with a plan to rebuild Torchwood, but the idea held little appeal. He had no desire to return to his work at Torchwood and felt too emotionally drained to look for a new team. He had failed his previous team so badly, back to Suzie, that he didn't trust himself to do better.

There was no longer anything tying him to Wales. His obligation to remain with Torchwood was long gone and there was no one and nothing he needed to stay for. Everything just served as a reminder of what he lost, down to the sound of Welsh vowels. Perhaps a change of scenery would help clear his mind.

Jack stood among the ancient ruins in central Mexico. Glancing at his guide book, he realized that he hadn't paid close enough attention to his purchases and couldn't understand the Spanish materials. With a deep sigh of regret, he gazed upon the crumbling stone overgrown with lichen. He walked around, noting how nature had reclaimed what had once likely been a a notable landmark for a lively community. But like all things, time had seen it surpass its usefulness.

He wondered what had caused the decline and ultimate destruction of this building but decided that it doesn't really matter. It wasn't the building that mattered but the people. After all, the building still remained, in ruins perhaps, but the evidence of its existence was irrefutable. The lives of those who built the edifice and lived and died by it were lost forever. He realized that he would survive long past the life spans of those here with him. He would see generations live and die, he would see the buildings surrounding him fall into ruin. There would be no escape from the decay and ruin of his adopted world. The world he had wanted to build for his loved ones would never last, in the same way that those loved ones would die and become dust.

Jack let go of the breath he was holding. He turned to climb back down the mountain. It seemed that no matter how far he travelled, this feeling of melancholy and hopelessness was bound to follow. This little planet didn't, couldn't, offer the type of escape he needed. No matter where he turned, there were too many little reminders of the destruction he left in Britain, the lives lost from his mistakes. He would have the learn to deal with the memories and move past the pain living cause him but he couldn't see how. This was no longer his home and he couldn't find a place for himself anymore.

Dejectedly, Jack looked at a battered piece of alien technology he had found stored outside the destroyed Hub and spared a disparaging thought for the people who so easily destroyed the knowledge he had spent lifetimes accumulating. If he could just teleport away, he was sure it would help him get his feet back under him. It was the limited possibilities of Earth that was preventing him for moving on, or at least lessen the hurt. Struck by an idea, he opened the cover metallic on the small device and searched for any nearby ships that might be able to take him on as a passenger. He may not have much universally accepted currency but he could certainly earn his passage or, at worst, get his hand back in the con game. With a beep, the computer laying in his hands notified him of a passing cold fusion cruiser.

With a press of a button, he made his choice.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Remote hill

Cardiff, Wales, Great Britain

March 14, 2010

Jack buckled his coat against the cool night air. It had not been long enough since he had breathed in the Welsh air. He knew that notifying Gwen of his departure was a mistake but he felt that he owed her at least that small courtesy. Waiting for her arrival, he stood on the hill and gazed up at the stars, anticipating the moment that he would be back among them.

He looked back down at hearing a woman chuckle

"Couldn't have just chosen a pub, could you?." Gwen smiled, one hand on her stomach, the other in Rhys'.

"It's bloody freezing," Rhys admonished. "My feet…"

"Oh I missed that," Jack interrupted, "The Welsh complaining. You look…"

"I look huge" Gwen finished for him.

Rhys nodded and said, "She looks bloody gorgeous." They smiled at each other. Jack felt like an intruder in their happiness but smiled to see them so at peace. His smile faded as he realized that he no longer had the right to feel that same emotion.

Gwen moved towards him, "You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah." Jack replied, and he wasn't lying.

"Did it work?"

Jack paused before answering. "Traveled all sorts of places. This planet is too small. The whole world is like a graveyard."

"Come back with us." Gwen asked, her eyes filling with tears.

"Haven't traveled far enough yet," Jack responded, "I got a lot of dirt to shake off my shoes." He looked up. "And right now there is a cold fusion cruiser surfing the ion reefs just at the edge of the solar system. Just waiting to open it's transport dock. I just need to send a signal."

Gwen reached into her pocket and pulled out his wrist strap, handing it over to Jack. He was surprised that it had survived the explosion that had tore him to pieces.

"They found it in the wreckage," Gwen explained, seeing the confusion on his face. "Indestructible. Like it's owner. I put on a new strap for you." Jack buckled it around his wrist, where it belonged. It had felt foreign to go without it for so long and he found the familiar weight oddly comforting.

"Cost me 50 quid, that," Rhys shouted over.

"Bill me," Jack shot back.

Gwen ignored this exchanged and instead asked Jack, "Are you ever going to come back, Jack?" She looked at him with shy hopefulness.

Jack felt the loneliness that had plagued him for the previous months and the words broke out before he could stop them, "What for?"

"Me." Gwen didn't hesitate in her response. In the face of his silence, she said, "It wasn't your fault."

"I think it was." Pain infused every syllable.

"No."

"Steven and Ianto and Owen and Tosh and Suzie." He paused. "All of them, because of me."

"But you saved us," Gwen stuttered over the words, overcome by emotion. "Didn't you?"

"I began to like it. And look what I became." He had wanted to become a better man after he met the Doctor. He had made it one of his highest values and in his hubris, he committed acts, destroyed lives, he never would have done as the most base criminal. "Still. I have lead so many lives. It's time to find another one."

Stepping back, he hit the button on his wrist strap that would signal the freighter to teleport him aboard.

Unable to give up, Gwen continued to fight, tears streaming down her face, "But they died, and I'm sorry Jack but you cannot run away. You just cannot run away."

"Oh yes I can. Just watch me." As he felt the teleport take him away, he felt a small hint of relief. He no longer had to be Captain Jack Harkness. He no longer had to live among the reminders of him mistakes. He could invent a new persona who was everything that he had failed to be as Jack Harkness. Surely this was the right choice.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Fracil Island

Sabro

Lesser Curiated Cloud

28th Century

"Just a little bit further…" The Doctor reached over and pressed a button on the side of the console and the TARDIS came to a shuddering stop. "There we are! Sabro. On the other side of those doors you'll find the best resort planet the universe has to offer. At least until the next few hundred years." He frowned before turning to Nehti with a wide grin. "All right. Off you go."

Nehti leapt up off the floor, where she had fallen in their landing, and rushed to the TARDIS entrance. Opening the door, she paused and stared at the landscape before her.

"Yes, yes. I know. It's all quite overwhelming but I'm sure you can handle the hedonistic pleasures that await you."

"Doctor…" Nehti bit her lip in hesitation. "Are you sure we're in the right place?"

The Doctor furrowed his brow and said, "Yes, of course. It says so right here on the screen. We're in the 28th century on the 4th planet revolving around Helios IV in the Lesser Curiated Cloud. Why?"

"Well, perhaps I'm wrong, but I was expecting, I don't know, stuff. From what you were telling me, a distinct lack of civilization was not on the menu." Nehti hated contradicting the Doctor because it usually never happened and when it did it was usually her error.

"You must be mistaken." The Doctor strode over next to where she was standing and looked out on the planet surface. "What?"

Nehti looked at him and saw bafflement written all over his features as well as a touch of insult. It figures that he would consider it offensive that a planet not fit his stated specifications.

"This can't be right. No matter where we landed on the planet, there should have been something signifying life." The Doctor rubbed his face with one hand. "Even if I were off by a couple centuries, this planet was colonized ages ago and remained that way until the sun went supernova, consumed the planet, and collapsed into a black hole." At that, he raced outside to check the position and temperament of the sun before returning. "No…doesn't look like Helios IV is going anywhere anytime soon…"

"Why don't we go for an exploratory walk," Nehti suggested, knowing that exploring this mystery would please the Doctor and make it more likely that she would get her well deserved break. Perhaps she should have agreed to wait until tomorrow. Goodness knows how much she would like a bath. In fact, "Before we go, let me go get a new pair of shoes from the wardrobe. I don't fancy going much further in my bare feet."

"Yes, yes. Of course." The Doctor murmured distractedly as he continued to study the TARDIS's readings.

By the time Nehti returned wearing a pair of the most sensible, aside from being violently orange, shoes she could find, the Doctor was waiting for her with a determined look on his face.

"I can find no possible reason for why there aren't any people out there," he told her decisively. "I need to see if I can find any sort of clue for where everyone has gone and how they took the buildings with them."

"Onwards, then!" Nehti cried cheerfully and they set off, the Doctor poking his sonic screwdriver at every third bush and shaking his head in confusion at the results.

After three hours of wandering the planet, with the Doctor becoming increasingly disturbed with every reading he took, Nehti finally interrupted him.

"Doctor, it's going to get dark soon and the temperature is dropping. Perhaps we should return to the TARDIS for the night and continue the search tomorrow."

The Doctor looked over at her in concern, "I'm sorry. I've lost track of time. Of course we can go back. Here, take my coat. No need for you to freeze." Handing over the worn purple wool, he relapsed into silence.

"What's wrong? What have you found?"

"Nothing…at least nothing I feel comfortable discussing until we get back on the TARDIS."

At that, he resumed his quiet thinking and left Nehti to entertain herself on the walk back.

Once they were safely back on the TARDIS, Nehti wandered into the kitchen to make a pot of tea for the two of them while the Doctor consulted again with the TARDIS. As Nehti finished boiling the water, the Doctor came in, ashen faced and ancient eyes filled with uneasiness.

"Nehti…" The Doctor stopped and swallowed heavily. "Nehti, there's been a slight problem.

His demeanor caused her more alarm than his words. When traveling in a phone box that traverses time and space, there are very few problems that cannot be solved with the pulling of a few levers. Landing on an uninhabited planet that should be inhabited posed a problem, yes, but not to the extent that the Doctor was behaving. At least, she didn't think it would do.

"What's happened?"

"I don't know," was his only response. "This planet has never been settled. Ever. We are the first being to come here."

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know," he repeated. "Sabro was the most successful human colony of it's time. Species from all over the universe came here for the resort facilities. Humans gained quite a reputation for business and industry based on this colony. It eventually inspired further exploration into space, leading to a Golden Age of human empire and expansion. Without this time, many other races would have failed to evolve and travel into space themselves. Many colonies that grew, gained independence and succeeded in their own right never would have come into existence. _But Sabro was never settled._"

"How?" Nehti's confusion suddenly dawned into panic. "Doctor, my family is on a colony planet. Are you saying that my home never existed?"

"Yes. No. I don't know. This should never have happened. Sabro existed. Sabro began the Golden Age of human space exploration. I don't understand what could have caused humanity not to settle it." The Doctor spared a glance at Nehti. "Don't panic. You're still here so there is no paradox in motion. If you're alive then your ancestors had to exist, too." The unspoken notion being that at any moment the paradox could break free.

Nehti swallowed deeply and made the conscious decision to take the Doctor at his word. It was all she could do.

"Okay. I'm okay. Just….what are we going to do now?"

The Doctor looked at her grimly. "We're going to Earth and seeing what they've been doing if not building their empire."


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Loading deck

The Ergon Skiele

21st century

Opening his eyes, Jack filled with shock. Of course, with the way his luck had been running, he really shouldn't have been surprised.

"So, I take it this isn't your everyday, run of the mill freighter," Jack ventured, looking at the heavily armed men surrounding him, weapons trained to kill.

"This is your one opportunity to surrender any weapons you may have. I suggest you take advantage of it." Jack looked at the man who issued the order. Standing well over 6 feel tall, with light hair and an icy cold stare was the man Jack presumed to be the captain of the ship.

"I'm just an honest hitchhiker," Jack warned but relinquished his Webley. "That's all I have. I'm not looking for trouble."

"Search him, Vodo", the tall bonde ordered a smaller, dark-skinned, hunched man. Vodo gave Jack a wary look before crossing the divide and patting him down. With an increasing air of disappointment, the dark man reported that he wasn't able to find any further concealed weaponry.

Jack noticed that the leader continued to look at him mistrustfully and wondered what the next move was going to be. Jack was not left waiting long.

"Strip."

"Excuse me?"

"You are obviously not from this part of town. You look human but a human wouldn't have the ability to contact us. There are a number different technologies you could conceal under your clothes that is not in our interests to let you keep. Strip."

Jack sighed but acquiesced, slowly removing his coat and the layers underneath. He refused to take his eyes off the leader, as if daring him to find fault with him. He really wished he had been able to investigate his ride before hopping aboard. This was not what he had in mind when he decided to leave Earth. What was that old saying? 'Out of the frying pan, into the fire?'

The blonde man jerked and Jack paused before removing his vest. The other man's eyes were fixed on Jack's wrist strap.

"Hand that over." He ordered.

"It's harmless. I can't use it offensively. It's not designed that way," Jack lied, knowing that they should have had no exposure to a portable vortex manipulator. Jack realized that he made a mistake when the men surrounding him cocked the hammers on their guns to fire.

"I didn't ask you that. I told you to hand it over."

Jack removed the leather band from his wrist and handed it over without a word before continuing to remove his remaining clothes. When he was finished, the blonde man seemed satisfied that Jack had nothing to hide. Rather than letting him dress, however, he gazed at Jack's eyes and made a decision.

"Space him."

"Oh no no no no. Hold on a second boys." Jack held his hands against the approaching crewmen. "I don't want any violence." It was the truth. The thought of constantly dying and reviving in a vacuum was wholly unappealing. "Give me a chance. I don't know what you are doing and I don't care. I just wanted to get off Earth. You're right. I'm not a local boy. But I can be valuable to you. A corpse floating in Earth space would raise questions. I take it that you aren't the type to appreciate questions."

"Your body wouldn't lead to us."

"Perhaps not at first but it would make things more difficult that not spacing me at all. Now isn't the time to make rash decisions. Think about it. Lock me up wherever you choose. I know I can be an asset. Give it some time and I'm sure we can see eye to eye." Jack made sure to avoid eye contact and give the blonde man all indications of his submission to the other man's authority. Dying horribly really was not on the agenda for the time being.

The blonde man looked at him appraisingly. He did have a point. Even if his body was never connected to to Ergon Skiele, it would make it more difficult to stay under the radar in this region of space for quite some time. He was intrigued about how Jack came to be on Earth and what he had to offer.

"We'll see about that. We'll let you live, at least until we get to a more convenient corner of the universe. Go ahead and lock him up boys."

He turned and walked away.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Brig, cell #2

The Ergon Skiele

21st century

Jack sighed and looked up at the metal girders above his head. If Ianto were here, he would be teasing him with that dry Welsh wit about always finding himself in the midst of trouble. And naked. Trouble and exhibitionist tendencies would have been just the thing to set Ianto off on his list of "Things that Define Captain Jack Harkness" He sighed again. No matter how many times you do it, sitting in a cell never got more interesting. Cell design didn't even have the decency to change over time or space to give a change of scenery. Same four walls, uncomfortable pallet, monitoring window, toilet sink mirror combination. In his younger days, he would preen in the mirror when he got too bored but he wasn't all that interested in seeing his own face nowadays.

Instead, he whiled away the time pondering the mystery of the Ergon Skiele. What business brought them to this region of space and what were they willing to kill him over? Obviously, secrecy was important to them or they would have dumped his body out the airlock without a second thought.

Equally important, how was he going to convince them not to kill him? He couldn't escape from his cell and any opportunity that might arise would leave him stranded without his wrist strap, a scenario he did not care to consider. His only choice was to ingratiate himself to the crew to the extent that they choose not to kill him. If only he knew why they would want to in the first place.

He heard the sound of a high security door being opened and pushed such thoughts to the side. Lojin, a spindly youth with bad skin and a nasty scar on his left arm. He had been given the task of making periodic checks on Jack, ostensibly to ensure that he hadn't pulled some sort of disappearing act, as well as bring him his meals. This seemed to be a between meals visit and Jack intended to make the most of it.

Jack paced restlessly. It seemed that his efforts had not gone unnoticed that Lojin had not been by in days. Instead, the blonde leader seemed to be coming by personally. Jack gathered that he name was Verj, although he never formally introduced himself. It didn't matter. Before Lojin had been banished to other parts, he had learned quite a bit.

The Ergon Skiele was not a legitimate freighter. Rather, it was a pirate ship working against regulations set by the Shadow Proclamation. They were able to take natural resources from planets not yet sophisticated enough for space travel and sell them on the black market to other regions of the universe. Jack's knowledge of their presence around Earth would be a dangerous blow, one that could result in their deaths; hence, their desire to eliminate the threat that he posed. He also understood that they had lost someone on the excursion before he had arrived. His experience in the con business could be just what he needed to get out of this cell. The trick of letting them know that he could help them without pushing their hand would take quite a bit of effort.

It would be good to get his hand back into the game. After all, he was no longer Jack Harkness, failed human being. Here, he could be whoever he chose to be. And he chose the name Dite Freir. Dite could be whoever he wanted to be, no strings, no baggage. As far he was concerned, Dite was just the person for the job. He closed his eyes and referenced his internal clock. Nearly time for the evening meal, notable because it was not nearly as sweet as the morning meal. Verj would not be as easy to win over as Lojin but all his potential plans depended on getting out of that cell.

After months in this cell, Jack was ready to scream in boredom and impotent frustration. His instincts were correct; Verj didn't trust him and didn't seem to have any inclination to change that opinion. Nevertheless, Jack noticed that there were some cracks in that resolve. As time passed, Verj would consult with Jack over a course of action. Jack was well aware that it was some kind of test and answered as best he could, in the belief that if he proved that he would put their needs first, they would eventually let him out of his cell and gain more freedom of movement. These wishes, however, had yet to be realized but Jack continued to soldier on.

Jack winced. He hated the term soldier. Brought back too many memories from his old life that he had been trying so hard to put behind him. The blessing and curse of so much downtime in a cell was that it gave him far too much time to think. On the other hand, it gave him the necessary solitude to compartmentalize all that he wished to leave behind and built a solid new personality for himself.

When Verj arrived with the midday meal, Jack greeted him with a guileless smile and polite inquiry into his health. Instead of receiving and answer, he was given a package containing his clothing along with his meal. Disappointed, he noted that his wrist strap was not returned to him but covered it before the man had reason to doubt his sincerity. With a smile of thanks, Jack pulled on his vest and pants.

"When you've finished eating, come join me on the command deck. We need to talk."

Jack refused to allow his expression to change.

"I'll be there."


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Command deck

The Ergon Skiele

30 minutes later

Jack straightened the cuffs of his Oxford shirt, for the first time in his life grateful to be putting on clothing. Verj was waiting for him with an appraising look in his eye that Jack returned with a wary one, looking for armed crewmen. There had been no indication that this encounter would not end with Jack's execution. Jack wasn't sure if he would prefer to be shot before dumped or just thrown out the airlock outright. Mentally preparing himself, he shook off his visions of imminent death and returned Verj's stare.

"Thank you. I've missed having the opportunity to stretch my legs. And space is significantly more comfortable when you aren't stark naked." Jack tried his best to appear non-threatening and nodded a greeting at the other crewmen on deck.

"This isn't a charity effort. We expect you to be able to pull your weight. You say that you can be an asset to my team. This is your test. Pass and you will not be returned to your cell. You won't be allowed to leave, but you'll have a bit more freedom of movement than you've had the past few months. Fail and you're dead. You must know that we are far enough from Earth that no one will miss you or be able to connect you to anything than a bad business dealing."

Jack struggled to keep his face neutral amid the wash of relief that he wasn't to be spaced. "I'm honored."

"You will follow my orders unquestioningly. You will be where you are supposed to be when you are supposed to be. You will go nowhere or do anything that I would not personally approve of. Should you break any of these rules, you will be killed. You will not call me by name or rank. You are a member of my crew but you are not part of our family. I expect to be called sir whenever you address me. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir." Jack swallowed deeply at the stab of pain this caused but refused to dwell on it. He had work to do.

Jack let out a whoop of exhilaration as he and the rest of the team were teleported back onto the Ergon Skiele. He used a filthy shirtsleeve to wipe the sweat out of his eyes and looked at the excited faces of the other crew members. Carefully concealing the blast wound on his side, his accelerated healing not anything he wanted to explain, he slapped Broll on the back and said, "See? Nothing to it. All it takes is a little knowledge, a little finesse, a little luck, and a hell of a lot of firepower.

Broll gave him a weak grin and continued on with the others to celebrate their newly won cache while Jack packed up their gear.

"I'll be right there! Don't drink all the booze without me!" he called after them with a laugh.

Times like these, he felt the edges of melancholy brushing the edges of his subconscious but he had learned to shove it aside with ruthless efficiency. He had no reason to be unhappy. He had a home, hot meals, plenty to drink, and a new adventure nearly everyday. Shaking his head, he focused on the present. After strapping down the last piece of armor, he slammed the lid to the case down and jogged to join his comrades.

"C'mon, tell me you at least saved me some hyper vodka."

That evening, a very drunk Jack had second thoughts about that 5th hyper vodka martini. Intoxication led to thinking and he didn't like to think. His life was best spent in a haze of action, adventure, danger, and harmless grandstanding. Reaching into his pack, he pulled out a bottle of tablets that would thoroughly elevate his mood just in time for him to go to sleep. He'd suffer for it tomorrow but he was already going to have a hangover, how much worse could it get?

He turned over and punched his pillow into a fluffier shape before stripping down and pulling on sleep clothes. Catching a glance of himself in the mirror he hid in the back of his locker, which he noted had quite of bit of dirty laundry at the bottom that needed to be taken care of, he noticed he had lost quite a bit of weight. Well, hyper vodka and tablets weren't exactly a doctor-recommended diet but they got him through and as long as he was walking, he was coming out ahead as far as he was concerned.

Giving himself a cocky grin, he shoved the metal door shut, dimmed the lights, and climbed under his blanket, mind free of anything that could possibly make anyone unhappy.


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The Milky Way

Earth

28th century, the next day.

The blue police box spun through space towards Earth while her two passengers sat on the bench in the control room in silence.

"What do you think we'll find?" Nehti asked in a small voice.

"No bloody clue," was the Doctor's reply. "Earth should be a technological superpower, not too unlike your home colony but I don't fancy being wrong twice in 2 days.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the sight of a ship on the TARDIS view screen. "We should be within the atmosphere soon. Let's go have a look."

Nehti got up dutifully and followed him to the central console. Looking at the view screen, Nehti let out a perplexed, "Huh? What's that?"

The Doctor looked up from the screen to look at her and then back at the screen. He seemed troubled. "It's a spaceship."

"It doesn't look like a spaceship. It doesn't even seem airworthy." Nehti told him doubtfully.

"Because it's steam powered. You've never seem a steam powered ship because most societies abandon steam motors long before they even think about traveling in space. There is no reason why Earth should still be using them."

As then continued their descent into the atmosphere, they found that the sky was filled with rusted, steam ships, seemingly held together by tin cans and bits of string that would never go outside into space. Nehti looked on in amazement at the odd aircraft whirring past.

The Doctor's mouth settled into a grim line. "This is not exactly promising. But I think we now have an idea of why Sabro hasn't been settled. These ships are fine for traveling short distances in one's own galaxy but they would never be able to explore past the Milky Way in these. But why in the name of Gallifrey are they using steam motors? It's senseless."

"I thought that the sky on Earth was blue and pretty. It seems so grey and dreary."

The Doctor nodded, "Doesn't surprise me. Many of the materials used to build these ships are not made in the same clean process that your planet uses. The amount of smog and dirt released into the air must be just obscene," The Doctor paused. "Even worse than what Earth was emitting at the end of the 20th century, when such concerns became politically significant, which was pretty awful even then. I shudder to think about how disgusting people's insides must be."

In silence, the Doctor parked the TARDIS without the usual rocky bumping along. At any other time, Nehti would have teased him mercilessly about it but both were too tense to speak.

Having successfully arrived, the Doctor looked up at Nehti. "We're here."


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

City of Kalidasa

Maru

Beylis Galaxy

21st century

Jack shrugged his shoulders experimentally, adjusting to the unfamiliar fit of the fine suit they had procured for him for this occasion. Kahla, the engineer, had also been provided with a gown to wear as while posing as his wife at an exclusive party held by the richest man in Kalidasa. Jack had been working on the foundations of this for weeks, insinuating himself into the gentleman's life in order to get this invitation.

Jack took Kahla's hand and placed it in the crook of his arm and their entrance was about to be announced. He turned and gave her an encouraging smile, "You'll be fine. Just follow my lead. As long as you don't call attention to yourself, people won't expect much of you."

Her answering look of terror was cut off by their announced arrival.

"Mr. and Mrs. Dite Silverhold."

Jack walked into the room like he owned it and guided Kahla to force her follow him without betraying her uncertainty. Seldom in her life had she seen so much wealth, let alone been a part of it. It all served to make her very uncomfortable and Jack could sympathize. He, however, had several lifetimes of experience in being in over his head and had long learned to conceal it.

The two of them made a circuit around the room, greeting all those they wanted to be seen greeting, before reaching the buffet.

Jack encouraged Kahla to help herself, knowing that no one on the ship had access to such high quality and quantity of food, before turning to examine the room. The paintings and ornaments on the walls were of the highest quality and clearly valuable. It would not take much effort to get them out of the building and it would certainly bring in enough to finance their next trip out. The security in this place was good, but Jack, and his crew mates, were better. Vodo could crack the security in a matter of minutes and beyond that, there would be nothing to stop them. Of course, they should bring along some fire power. One must be prepared for all contingencies in this business.

Kahla interrupted his thoughts, "Dite, what are we supposed to be doing now?"

He turned and smiled at her. In an effort to keep up their ruse, he leaned over to whisper in her ear like a besotted lover, "We've done all the hard work. Now, we eat, drink and dance until we can't bear another second of it. Then we can return to the Ergon Skiele and change." He knew how uncomfortable she was in her dress and that she would be pleased at the thought of changing back into her coveralls.

"I think I can do that."

"I know you can," Jack assured her with complete confidence in her abilities. She just needed some help getting out of her shell.

After several hours of partying and socializing with the area elite, Jack and Kahla returned to the ship.

"Well?" Verj was waiting for them at the hatch.

"It's going to be a cakewalk," Jack responded offhand. "If Vodo can disable the alarm, we'll be set. No guards and no monitoring devices keeping the targets on the walls."

Verj nodded. "Good. I have a buyer for it already. If we can get it taken care of tonight, we can be back in the sky by tomorrow morning."

"Got it,sir." He had never gotten used to calling Verj 'sir' but recognized it as a necessary evil. "I'll get the crew together and we can head out in about an hour."

Jack signaled to Vodo that everyone was in place. At the motion, Vodo because his work in cracking the alarm system. Jack probably could have disabled it faster but he didn't think they needed to know that. After several minutes of feverish work, Vodo nodded to Jack. They were clear.

Entering through the front door, Jack, Lojin, Vodo, and Drin zeroed in on the reception hall. Jack had mapped out where the most valuable pieces where and they each had assigned targets. Within a matter of minutes, they had each finished their assigned tasks and regrouped.

At that moment, Vodo notified them, "I missed a minor subroutine in the alarm system. They know that you are there. Get out now!"

Without a moment's hesitation, they broke into a run. They had barely hit top speed before the sound of gunshots rang out behind them. Lojin let out a grunt as one of the projectiles winged his leg but he did not lose speed.

Arriving at the predetermined meeting place, the team was taken aboard the Ergon Skiele, home safe and mission accomplished.


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Cardiff, Wales, The Reconstituted United Kingdom of England, Wales, Belgium and Iceland

Earth

28th century

Nehti followed the Doctor out of the TARDIS, eyes wide with amazement. This Earth looked nothing like the vids she had grown up seeing. As she recalled, Earth had bright blue skies with big fluffy white clouds and all sorts of birds. The skies here were dreary and dull, without a single sign of life. The terrain was also significantly different than what she had been lead to expect. Instead of beautiful trees and miles of hilly grasslands, she saw an endless sight of concrete and severely dirty, worn buildings. Nothing about this place looked clean or well cared for. She looked at the Doctor, trying to gauge his reaction to these surroundings. He did not look at all pleased. She bit her lip and looked around at the people. No one was very clean that she could find and all looked at her with mistrust and hostility.

"Doctor," she began to ask but he seemed to know what she was thinking.

"No, you are not mistaken. This is not what Earth was supposed to become. The educational materials used to teach you about Earth weren't necessarily representative of the entire planet, but I can assure you that Cardiff should not be like…this." His face had an expression of mild distaste and a great deal of concern. "Cardiff should have moved on from this state thousands of years ago. It certainly didn't look like this last time I was here."

"Right then. Flying steam ships, filthy atmosphere, ugly sky, and depressing landscape. Not par for the course here. Anything I seem to be missing?" Nehti tried to dispel her discomfort by tackling the problem head on.

"No. I don't know if that is a good thing or a bad one. The air pollution can be explained by the production of materials used for the steam ships. It's odd. One would almost think that the Industrial Revolution just took off on Earth but it can't be. These conditions should have been long surpassed by modernity and technology." As the Doctor spoke, two filthy children snuck up behind Nehti in an effort to pick her pockets. Without missing a beat, he reached over and pulled them away from her. "I don't think so boys. Better luck elsewhere." His tone was not unkind.

Nehti's eyes followed the two young boys as they scampered off in search of new prey. Her attention was quickly drawn back to the Doctor as he resumed his thought.

"Now, I believe the best way to determine what has happened to cause Earth to regress so terribly would be to find a local and ask questions. One moment." He searched several pockets before triumphantly withdrawing the small pouch in which he kept his psychic paper. "Now, off we go!"

The search for a local person to talk to did not go well. People actively avoided the pair, giving them looks of pure distaste and hostility. Many did not seem to appreciate being approached by these strangers and quickly hurried off in another direction the moment the Doctor's penetrating gaze landed on them. Even Nehti, making a stronger effort to be less intimidating, not that the Doctor intentionally acted that way but sometimes his intensity was off-putting, had no luck. Children were more willing to withstand their presence, ignoring them in the blithe way children living on the streets had a tendency to do to those who were not potential targets, but had little inclination to talk.

Frowning, Nehti tried to figure out why people were so reluctant to come near them. It couldn't just be that they were strangers. In a city this size, it was unreasonable that everyone would recognize everyone else. Even in the most primitive societies, it was understood that in large cities it was always possible to meet new people. Taking a closer look at the unkempt people walking past it occurred to her what was marking them out. Not a single man, woman or child wore clothing remotely similar to theirs. The women all wore dresses and skirts of sober color and kept their hair covered by some type of grimy fabric. The men were little neater and also wore particularly cut suits of dark fabric. She, in her jeans and Jam Sandwich concert tee, and the Doctor, wearing loose trousers and fitted jacket, could not have looked more out of place if they tried. Traveling on planets more accustomed to outsiders, they had never truly had to take their clothing into consideration. Obviously, that was all about to change.

"Doctor, I think we should go back to the TARDIS."

He looked up at her in confusion, "Why?"

"We don't exactly fit in with the locals," she gestured to their outfits. "I think it's drawing a fair amount of negative attention that we don't exactly need right now."

The Doctor seemed startled by this realization. "Oh! Of course! I wonder why I didn't think of that. All right. Of we go. I think I have just the thing on the fourth floor of the wardrobe…"


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Nehti looked in the mirror dubiously. She felt like something out of an ancient history vid. Skirts this big certainly were not conducive to traveling with the Doctor and she didn't particularly care for the tightness of the bodice.

"Well, as ridiculous as it is, at least I'll now fit in with everyone else," she said, letting out a breath. "Doctor, do you think it'll matter that we are both significantly cleaner than everyone else."

"Oh not at all." The Doctor stepped out wearing another antiquated ensemble. "Besides, after an hour of so outside in all that muck, we'll be as dirty as sin in no time."

"Ah. Now isn't that a lovely, cheerful thought," Nehti muttered to herself as she tugged at the neckline of her dress once more. "Ready whenever you are."

The Doctor held open the door and winked, "After you, my dear."

Within minutes, both Nehti and the Doctor realized the advantages of their new appearance. Rather than inviting the mistrust and menacing looks of those around them, they did not attract any undue attention. In unspoken mutual agreement, they split up with the intent to meet at the TARDIS when they had uncovered what they were looking for.

As Nehti wandered towards a large grey building, she caught sight of a young girl selling newspapers. Not having any local currency to purchase one, Nehti was only able to catch sight of the cover in passing.

'FIVE MORE SOULS FOUND AFTER MYSTERIOUS ALIEN DISAPPEARANCE' screamed the headline.

Nehti tucked away this piece of information for further consideration. It didn't seem like there was much alien influence on this planet and obviously humans viewed other species with considerable distrust.

Seeing a woman crouching down to pick up some dropped apples, Nehti rushed over to help and asked a few probing questions.

"So…did you see about those missing people turning up again? I wonder what happened to them."

"The aliens got 'em. Took those poor innocent people right off the street out of thin air and brought 'em back wrong. All scarred and old. Wild looks in their eyes." The woman refused to meet Nehti's eyes. "I keep tellin' my children to stay where I can see 'em. Don't want those aliens snatchin' 'em out from under my feet."

"Quite sensible. There you are." Nehti handed her the last piece of fruit. The woman grabbed it and scrambled back on her way.

Nehti turned and sought another person to question. Not only did she have questions about Earth history, she wanted to know more about these alien abductions.

Meanwhile the Doctor was hearing similar stories.

"Those filthy aliens," an old man muttered in disgust. "Will vanish you up in plain daylight. One moment you're there, the next you're not. You can be gone for days, months, sometimes people are brought back years later—if at all—and they're never the same again."

"Why?" The Doctor asked curiously.

"Because they're evil, aliens. Just want to hurt us. But the government takes care of those poor creatures the aliens take. Earth's got no tolerance for aliens. Haven't for a long, long time. All started with those baby thieves Just you ask anyone."

"Baby thieves?"

"Yep. Some filthy sons of bitches aliens thought they could take our kids. They got what for, I can promise you that."

"Do you remember what they were called?"

"Called?" The man looked scandalized. "They don't have names. Names are for God-fearing folk, not the damned aliens. Who on Earth would _call_ them anything?"

"I see." The Doctor nodded, eyes serious. "Thank you for telling me what you know."

The Doctor continued walking. So far everyone's stories remained the same. At some point in the past, a group of unnamed aliens came to Earth to demand children. After that, everything went pear shaped. Rather than venture out into the stars, humans decided to regress morally and technologically to a perceived "safe point" in which they would no longer have to worry about alien threats and technology. But something had gone wrong. Around that same time, mysterious disappearances were being reported in specific areas around the globe, Cardiff bearing the brunt of it. It seemed that there was no reason or pattern behind these abductions and only some where returned. The Doctor couldn't figure out what species would act in such away or why.

Turning back, he decided that he had done enough investigating. It was time to find out what Nehti had uncovered and to consult the TARDIS.

Back in the TARDIS kitchen, each drinking a cup of tea, they compared notes. Nehti had discovered much the same that the Doctor had, the mysterious disappearances and the alien threat from long before that marked the beginning of those disappearances.

"It all goes back to the children," Nehti concluded. "Everything started when that one race came to Earth for the children. In that context, it makes sense that people would be afraid of traveling into space and when people are afraid, they run to where ever they feel they will be safest. So why not go back to the technological dark ages?"

"Right. It's entirely wrong, of course, but it does explain quite a bit. But it never should have happened in the first place. If only we had a name for the species that started this whole mess."

"Would it be in the TARDIS's history? What type of species would target children? Human children?"

The flutterings of a thought danced at the edges of the Doctor's awareness. He stood up abruptly at walked in long strides to the console room calling over his shoulder, "Human children are not inherently valuable to any spacefaring race. Usually, they would just enslave a planet for any type of necessary labor but such processes would not depend of forfeiting children. A better question would be why would a species want to target human children. The key is that they only wanted children. What is so special about them?"

Nehti watched in silence as the Doctor pored through the TARDIS archives, looking at the physical and chemical properties of children compared to their fully grown counterparts.

"Hormones. It's the hormones. Now what species are physiologically suseptible to reacting to these types of hormones?" The Doctor continued to talk to himself under his breath and he wracked is brain for an answer. "The Arvov. A rather unpleasant and secretive lot. But I don't recall them ever coming to Earth…" He frowned and turned back to the console, tapping away at buttons and pulling levers.

"The only reference I have is some sort of radio frequency. 4 5 6. A species that communicated over radio frequencies for decades. The Arvov…wouldn't have told them who they were. And radio frequencies are such primitive methods of communication but the fit with the sound waves the Arvov use to communicate. It all fits."

"So these Arvov came to Earth anonymously to steal the children," Nehti asked with a dubious note in her voice. "And because of that, time and space has gone all wacky."

"Pretty much sums in up," the Doctor agreed. "But where was Torchwood to stop this?"


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Jack's cabin

The Ergon Skiele

21st century, that night

Jack settled back on his bunk with a smile. It had been years since he had felt so good going out on mission. Once Verj had allowed him to join the rest of the crew, he had gradually gained their trust. Enough, at least, so that they looked to him as their unofficial leader on missions. At first, Verj had been a bit displeased about how quickly the other members of his ship accepted the newcomer but Jack had proved invaluable time and again with his quick wit and his easy subterfuge when necessary to successfully complete the job. After a couple years, Verj had even stopped fearing that Jack would turn those very qualities against the ship and its crew. It was now quite common for Jack to be sent out with Vodo, Lojin, Drin, and, on rare occasions, Kahla.

He thought back on his crew mates with fondness. Vodo reminded him of a snake. He was trustworthy for as long as it benefited him and everyone kept their eye on him. He was eminently useful, however. He seldom questioned orders and was one of the best in his field, electronic armament and disarmament. He was just the person you wanted on your side if there were any missiles or alarms you wanted to trip or disable. His inability to effectively communicate with any living creature did not seem to faze him any.

Jack rolled onto his side and hazed out the port window in his cabin. Lojin had been the most recent addition to the crew, and the one with the worst luck. His second time in the field, he ran afoul of a scimitar and had a ragged scar to show for it. His skin had an unnatural pallor from limited exposure to sunlight and chronic malnutrition. He was so eager to please that he followed Jack around for months, trying his best to anticipate any needs Jack might have and prove himself invaluable to his new hero.

Drin, on the other hand, felt no need to ingratiate himself to anyone. He questioned everything, almost to the point where he did it out of spite. Nothing could be taken at face value. It had taken over a year for Jack to train Drin to obey orders in the field when they are issued, and to question them later. Drin made no effort to conceal the disdain he had for those around him and believed that his presence on the ship was the universe's gift to the crew of the Ergon Skiele. If he wasn't such an effective shot, Verj probably would not have tolerated him nearly as long as he did.

And Kahla, Jack sighed. Kahla was sweetness personified, despite working with a gang of criminals. She had grown up the youngest daughter of a poor farmer but had an unnatural ability with machinery that won her a spot on the Ergon Skiele with more than a little effort. No matter how long she spent among the dregs of society on the ship, she never quite lost that spark of innocence and joy that all little girls grow up with. Rather than making her a target to the more hardened criminals on board, it inspired protective feelings among everyone and she was the most cosseted criminal in eight systems.

Jack's face settled in a contented grin. It wasn't easy but it was certainly worthwhile. The affection he had for his team was hard won. In an instant, the smile he wore slipped off his face.

As much as he, as much as Dite loves his team, it isn't truly his team. He tried his best to replace his old team with them but it could never be the same. He didn't love them an unconditionally as he loved Torchwood Three. And he certainly did have their loyalty as he had Gwen, Owen, Tosh and Ianto's. What's more, he realized that he didn't want it. He didn't want to replace the best team he had ever been a part of with some pale shadow of it. He had let himself become distracted by the past by trying to recreate it but it would never work. Now that he had made the realization, he would never be able to look at them without remembering the lives and faces of those he truly wanted to be with.

He had put off his departure long enough. It had been years since he had been under such close scrutiny. The only person keeping him here was himself. Next time the opportunity presented itself, he would make his move.


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Aberti, 5th moon of Noiren

Unnamed star cluster

2 months later

Crouching behind a boulder, Jack took refuge from enemy fire. Their contact planet side had betrayed them and instead of a simple delivery of good, they were now fighting for their lives. He took advantage of the temporary respite to reload his weapon.

"Dite! They're heading straight at you!" Drin called over to him.

Jack spun quickly on his heel and opened fire on the advancing men, wounding three and killing two. A quick glance around showed that Kahla was pinned down and he jumped over a pile of newly wounded to come to her aid. Unfortunately, this drew the attention of several sets of eyes and he was once again a target. Forced to abandon his projectile weapons as they drew too close to shoot, he pulled a knife out of a hidden pocket in his trousers. He slashed away at his opponents ribs, faces, and arms but took a glancing wound along his side. Seeing a break in their offense, he broke for shelter. He ran across the plateau and dived in between an outcrop of craggy rocks, whereupon he discovered another occupant.

"Oh. Hello, then." Jack greeted the corpse mildly. He reached over to check the pockets of the dead man. He was, judging by the still-warm temperature of the body, obviously one of the enemy who had been trying to cheat them and must have been one of the first casualties. He imagined that the man had been able to crawl to shelter and subsequently bled out. There was nothing of consequence on his person, just a few bits of local currency and a few scraps of paper, too covered in blood to read. Shifting the body to make more room for him to stretch out, Jack nearly had a heart attack.

The corpse was wearing a vortex manipulator.

Once the shock wore off, Jack got a better look at it. It was a very primitive one, likely one of the first batches to come out of the Time Agency.

"You're a long way from home, kid." He said in a soft voice. "What are you doing here on a backwater moon negotiating in black market minerals?"

With delicate reverence, he carefully unclasped the vortex manipulator from around the stiff wrist and studied the controls. It was not nearly as complex as the ones he had been trained on, and he didn't recognize what some of the buttons were intended to do, but he grasped the basic shape of how it must work. It was fully functioning and could take him anywhere in time and space. What's more, it was produced before regulatory controls were added and he did not have to worry about needing to disable it. Unfortunately, it only had enough juice for one trip before he would need to recharge the battery and he didn't have the equipment to do so. But then again, one trip was all he needed to get out of here.

He looked up through the entrance of his hideout and saw the struggle that continued to rage on around him. These people needed him to help them fight but he knew that he couldn't stay with them. He couldn't use them to replace people who could never be replaced. Eventually, he would resent them for not being the people he wanted to be and for keeping his prisoner. While his freedoms had been greatly increased, he was well aware that anything he had was at the discretion of Verj.

He took a deep breath, said a silent goodbye to the crew still fighting outside, and keyed in the combination.

Shore of the Sea of Tranquility

Marianita

50,000 years in the future

Opening his eyes, he found himself on a sparkling blue, purple and green planet. A strong breeze pushed diaphanous turquoise clouds across the sky. Jack's mouth twisted into a wry smile. It was a beautiful vista, one he wasn't sure he deserved to see. He set his shoulders and walked inland. Whether or not he felt worthy to live here, it was where he was and he would make the best of it.

After spending several weeks roaming the beaches and mountains and cities of his new home, Jack finally settled down. On one of his explorations of a tall pink mountain, he met a couple who had been together for 3 years and had been invited back to their tent with them. They had hit it off so well that the ultimately extended an invitation to move in with them and join their relationship as a full and equal partner.

In many ways, Marianita reminded him of the time he grew up it. Personal enjoyment and spiritual balance were the highest virtues and there were few prohibitions on sexual liaisons. Having multiple sexual partners was viewed as desirable so long as the arrangements were mutually beneficial. For someone who had grown up in a time when sex was treated with similar views and then suffered through more than a century of backwards Earthen sexual customs, it felt quite a bit like coming home.


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

The Library

TARDIS

Cardiff, Wales

28th century

Nehti made herself comfortable in one of the big squishy couches in the domed room designated at the TARDIS library while the Doctor stood in front of a podium that had a console display inlaid in the smooth surface. Biting into the spiny blue alien pear, she looked around the room at the towering bookcases and books written in every alien language known to Time Lords. The Doctor looked up at the squeaky crunch that the fruit made before looking back down at the console.

"I can't find any record of Torchwood after the very beginning of the 21st century. I show that the Arvov came to Earth around September 5th, 2009 and there are a few scant mentions of Torchwood but then it's like it ceased to exist." The Doctor frowned. "It doesn't make any sense."

"Why not? Organizations dissolve all the time. And you haven't exactly explained to me what quite Torchwood is?"

"Oh. Right. Sorry. Yes. Torchwood is…was…an Earth-based organization formed with the intention of protecting Earth against any and all alien threats. Including me." He seemed slightly put out by this. "Any contact by the Arvov, 456, whatever you choose to call them, would have been right up Torchwood's alley."

"So, they should have been the first contact point but instead they seem to have been minor players. And then once everything was done, they were never heard from again."

"Exactly what it says in my records. Which can't be correct."

"What do you mean? You've always said that the TARDIS library was the most complete and infallible in the universe."

"Yes. But this time she is wrong." The Doctor was absolute on this point.

Nehti stared at him in bemusement and disbelief.

He explained, "I was there. I remember Torchwood being there well into the 34th century, after which it was supplanted by the Time Agency. Jack, the leader of Torchwood, is a good friend of mine. I would visit him frequently in my previous regenerations, especially in the years following 2009. He had a man on his team, a Ianto Jones, who was utterly brilliant. Changed the world, or at least, made the world what it was supposed to be. Charming, too. I wonder what went wrong…"

At this, the Doctor returned to the passages displayed on his console. "Ah! Oh! No….no no no no no. 2009? That's all wrong. Ianto Jones doesn't die for ages and ages. I remember in 2013, when he and Jack singlehandedly combated a Macra invasion of the London Underground. Ianto was so put out by the destruction of what Jack called the 'cute suit," The Doctor trailed off, lost in thought. "Something must have happened with the 456 that caused Ianto to die and prevented Jack from continuing with Torchwood. Perhaps even destroyed Torchwood itself and kept it from being rebuilt. Whatever it was, it lead to the current predicament that Earth is now in."

"Pardon me, but wouldn't that be impossible? If he died, wouldn't he no longer exist in your memory?"

"Yes. It should be a paradox, but it isn't. There aren't any reapers sterilizing the wound." Seeing her blank look he added hastily, "They are creatures that intervene when paradoxes are created to undo the damage. But I haven't sensed any. And I'm a Time Lord. Sensing paradoxes is in my blood. But there isn't one."

"Right," Nehti began. "Right. Torchwood was created to protect Earth from aliens. The 456 come but Torchwood isn't on the scene the way they should be. Ianto Jones dies. Torchwood disappears. Humans decide that they don't like technology and go back to living in a Charles Dickens novel while their friends and family are being abducted. Those who are abducted are sometimes returned, sometimes not, but all are presumably damaged. And none of this should have happened."

"Exactly." The Doctor looked troubled. Walking back over to the console in the library, he cross referenced the time period in question with major events on the TARDIS. With a gasp, he made the connection.

The mauve alert.

Earth had put out a mauve alert in 2009 and he hadn't responded.

He should have been there to fix this.

"That's it!" The Doctor cried out and raced to the center console room. Nehti took a moment to realize what had happened before running out behind him.

"What is it?" she called after him.

He stopped and turned to her. "There are no reapers because there is no paradox yet. I didn't respond to the mauve alert to stop this from happening so it happened. But then I must have gone back and fixed it, preventing a paradox."

"I don't understand." Nehti was thoroughly perplexed.

"We go back and fix this and prevent the paradox." He said excitedly.

"And that won't cause one because…"

"Because we already did it in the past. Which is how I can remember everything happening. Because it did. Because we fixed it." The Doctor let out a laugh. "It's brilliant! Pack your bags, Hari Nehti. We're going to 2009!"


	20. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Serenity City

Marianita

One year later

Jack looked down at his timer. Halfway through his run and his times were greatly improved from where they were when he first began his regime. As impressive as the Ergon Skiele's gravity simulation was, there was nothing like real ground to pound on your workouts. He wiped the sweat off his brow with his sleeve. The greatest problem he'd faced in the last 12 months was the sheer amount of time he had to think. Living in a society that prizes meditation and contemplation as the highest pursuits was not conducive to forgetting. And he so wished to forget.

Being a witness, as well as part of a functional relationship but into greater light his own failings in the past. He had fallen in love so many times: Lucille, Estelle, Daniel, Nancy, Summer, Ianto. All had given him their hearts and one by one he had failed them. He had lost the ability to demonstrate his love, choosing instead to hide behind swagger and bravado and failing to indicate the depth of emotion they had inspired in him.

It hurt, looking back and seeing all the ways he had succeeded in making those that he cared about feel insignificant and unloved. He had never intended to, but the preeminent quality of the self-absorbed is the failure to see their negative impact on others. The other trait was the inability to make right those wrongs. All those he harmed were now where he could not reach them and make amends.

He would give anything to be able to make amends with Ianto, he thought as he turned the corner to make his way back home. The connection he had with the younger Welshman was unlike anything he had ever felt before, anything he had ever felt himself capable of feeling. He regretted how much time he wasted hiding from his emotions when he could have been in the most fulfilling relationship of his long life. Perhaps his heart would not have hurt so deeply if he had lived those years to the fullest. Had anyone else been offered that same opportunity, he would have been so envious and yet he threw it all away too easily.

Thinking back on the prior year, he realized that his love for his partners was only a fraction of the love and devotion he felt for Ianto, even if he demonstrated those traits much more freely than he had in the past. Even more, he was beginning to feel guilty for accepting their fondness and dedication when he knew that he would never be able to properly reciprocate it. The longer he remained on this planet, the more he realized that he was less than a human being. While his body revived after each death, part of his soul was missing. He didn't know when he lost it or exactly why, but he keenly felt its absence. Could he continue in good faith to deceive these people into believing that he was someone he wasn't. He lacked the ability to reciprocate their feelings, he lacked the ability to conform to their values—peace and tranquility antithetical to what existed in his heart.

How many different places and ways were there for him to run from himself and his crimes? It obviously wasn't possible on Marianita; to do so worked against everything they were taught to hold dear. He couldn't live in the constant action and violence on the Ergon Skiele and he now found he couldn't do the same on a planet of peace and prosperity. He wasn't sure where he would be able to go but he knew where he couldn't.

Stopping at the front door, he removed his shoes and went inside. It took him only a few moments to pack up his things. He realized that as much as he lived in this building, he never truly made himself at home. He started the vid camera and left a goodbye message to his lovers. He knew that they wouldn't be surprised by his departure. As welcome as they had made him in their lives, they always knew that he was a wanderer at heart.

Picking up his satchel, he made his way down to the spaceport. He had earned a bit of extra money working as a gardener for the city and found that he had had enough to travel elsewhere for sometime but never quite knew where he should go. Now, looking up at the departure schedule, he wondered not for the first time if destiny existed. He knew exactly where he was heading. He was rather sure he would regret it later but some part of him knew that he needed this.

He walked up to a counter and purchased a ticket.


	21. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

London, England

Earth

August 7th, 2009

In a rare moment of cooperation, the TARDIS landed precisely where and when the Doctor specified.

The Doctor pulled a case out of his pocket and returned to the screen display. "We will need to establish an identity for you so that you can infiltrate the government. Whatever has happened, I think the Prime Minister and his cabinet would have to be at the center of it. They are the only ones who would be able to cut Torchwood and UNIT out of contact." The Doctor looked up from his work. "Using the TARDIS, I can construct a background for you. We can also let out a flat for you to use as an official address and set you up for a low level administrative position. It will give you just enough authorization to remain knowledgeable about the situation without requiring you to know things about contemporary Earth politics and government."

Nehti nodded mutely. The thought of being thrown into such a volatile situation on her own was more than a little intimidating but she knew that there was too much at stake to refuse.

The Doctor reached over and pulled out a set of documents. "Hari Nehti, may I introduce you to your new alter ego, Lois Habiba?"

Nehti woke up with the sun streaming in through her windows. The Doctor believed that it would be more convincing for her to immerse herself fully in Earth life, as well as add credibility to any type of investigation a potential employer would see fit to instigate. It had only taken them a week to find an appropriately clean furnished flat for her to reside in and now she was ready to go on to find a job. After showering and cleaning her teeth, she walked over to choose something to wear. It was difficult to know what was appropriate for job searching in this time period. The Doctor had given her a crash course on early 21st century fashion but she well knew that he was hardly the expert on blending in to a time period.

Finally selecting a pair of plain black trousers and black blouse, she looked at herself in the mirror. There certainly could be nothing objectionable to this. She resolved to purchase a few fashion magazines while she was out.

She then looked at the false CV the Doctor had compiled for her. A solid education, good credentials, and several false references all qualifying her for work as an office assistant in a government official's office. Had everything she needed except for step by step directions on how to find a job in a 21st century political office. She sighed.

"Right then. How would you go about this at home?" she asked herself aloud. "Get a list of potential employers. Send out CV. Hope to get a response."

She walked over to the primitive computing device and began a search. She smiled. Perhaps this wasn't going to be as difficult as she thought.

Nehti chewed on her lip, feeling discouraged. It was nearly September and she still had not found a job. The Doctor had been checking up on her daily to keep track of her progress and she was dreading hearing from him again today. He had altered her phone so that he could call her or tap into it as a listening device whether or not it was powered on, which would be quite useful if she had anywhere to be that was worth listening in to.

She jerked out of her thoughts when the phone rang. She looked over at it on the counter and groaned. Facing the Doctor's disappointment in her was more than she could bear at the moment.

Picking it up, she frowned. She didn't recognize the number.

"Hello?"

"Yes, is this Lois Habiba?" A woman's voice filtered through the line.

"Yes, ma'am. May I help you?"

"My name is Bridget Spears, I work in John Frobisher's office. We have a recent opening for a new assistant and I caught a look at your CV. You seem qualified. Are you available for an interview?"

"Oh. Yes. Of course. When?" Nehti wanted to kick herself. This was not the type of impression she wanted to make.

"Shall we meet tomorrow?" Bridget Spears' voice was brisk and Nehti knew that she would brook no nonsense.

Grabbing a pen, Nehti made notes for their arrangements and said a very grateful thanks and goodbye before the Doctor called. She was so pleased to have good news for once.


	22. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Boeshane Peninsula

Atdo System

52,020

Jack stepped off the transport and took a deep breath of the dry desert air. It was a scent he had never hoped to experience again. It brought back countless memories of pain and failure. This was a place he had been so eager to leave and so reluctant to ever return to. Even though it had been thousands of years since his birth, the planet remained virtually unchanged. Very few colonies could boast such dedicated inertia but his home planet was one of the few. Even the towns remained the same with the same shops and eateries passing down through the generations remarkably unchanged.

How he hated this place.

The vitality of universe was one of things that had enchanted him. Working with the Time Agency, he was able to experience the type of change and evolution that other societies experience as a matter of course. It was one of the most brilliant things he had ever seen. It was what made life on Earth bearable for all the years he had been there, in that he knew that anything he saw or experienced there would change dramatically in a matter of years.

He thrived on change. It made this planet feel all the more dead. But then again, his final months on Earth felt the same. Perhaps it was something in him that needed changing. Perhaps this was the step he needed to take to do so. After so many years of running for the past, he now had too much to carry. Here, he could put to bed the oldest of his troubles. It wasn't ideal, but it was what he hoped he could bear.

Jack stood outside the structure that once housed his family. A new family lived in it now, one he hoped had been more prosperous than his own. He remembered the horror of losing more of that family in the course of one invasion. It hadn't felt like home again after that, an adjustment that was hard for a young boy to make. He remembered the look on his mother's face when he had to tell her that his brother had been taken. The amount of anguish and pain she had felt was like a knife to his heart. No matter what anyone had said after that day, he had always felt personally responsible and their relationship had suffered for it. Looking back, he wondered how much of the divide between them was genuinely her grief for Gray and how much was his own self-loathing projected on her.

The fact remained that he had lost all semblance of belonging on that day and had spent the rest of his life in the search for it, not being able to take it even when it was offered to him because he always felt that he didn't deserve it. Ianto would have taken him in but he couldn't admit that to himself. Even seeing what had become of Gray, taking the retribution Gray meted out, he remained insecure. He failure to protect his brother had destroyed so many lives, including his own. But it was a mistake of a child and, as such, was not malicious. He could not continue to punish himself over it, regardless of how far-reaching the consequences were.

He looked again at his childhood home and realized that any crime he had committed or suffered in those walls was long past. It did no one any good to hold on to those hurts. He turned away from the village and moved onward, while not exactly feeling better, finally able to find his own absolution.

Jack stared out at the sea. He had walked thousands of kilometers around this planet, carefully dismantling every debilitating memory this place had given him. Now he was prepared to leave. Walking along the coast back to the spaceport, he was struck by the memory of his departure to the academy to become a Time Agent.

He had felt so relieved to finally escape the Boeshane Peninsula, he was so proud to put on that uniform. And somehow, for reasons he will never know, it all went wrong. Jack knelt to pick up some sea shells that he would have been so proud to have as a child. His rage and helplessness at finding that he had lost two years of his life, with no explanation, had caused him to behave in ways that he was now embarrassed by. Fear of what he had done to bring on that punishment had always hung over his head. It was so tiring to be afraid of yourself without knowing why. And he never, ever would know. That information was lost and would never come back. There was plenty about himself to scare him that he was fully aware of, not the least of which he faced back fighting the 456.

In light of what he found himself capable of doing, even for the right intentions, he doubted that anything he did at the Time Agency could compare. He wouldn't have been permitted to live had he done anything equal to his time since.

He closed his eyes against the sunlight.


	23. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Day One

London, England

September 4, 2009

Lois rushed off the bus and ran as best she could in her new high heeled shoes. It figured that the battery in her alarm clock would go flat the night before the first day of her new job. Keeping an eye out for other pedestrians, she hurried inside the building.

'Which hallway is it?' she wondered to herself and she went left, then backtracked and turned right. She counted the door numbers, looking for the correct one. Aha!

"I'm late! I'm sorry! Oh, my God. I'm really, really sorry!" she babbled on to her new supervisor, Bridget Spears. John Frobisher's personal assistant had been the only one willing to give her a position in a political office and she knew that the future of the universe depended on her getting this right. Sitting down at her desk, she took a deep breath. So it begins. She looked through the stack of paperwork next to her and set to work.

Nehti carried her completed work to Bridget.

"All done." She announced. She ventured an attempt to find out more information, "What's his uniform? That's not British Army, is it?"

"If you could start transferring the names and addresses," Bridget responded, completely ignoring Nehti's effort to glean more information.

Nehti retreated to her desk to plan her next move. She wished that the Doctor could have been here. He would know just the right way to approach this.

Ringing. Everywhere she turned phones were ringing. She would give anything to silence the phones for a few minutes.

"I'm sorry, he's not seeing anyone at the moment," she told an angry constituent, feeling exhausted and intimidated by the stress of so many unhappy callers. "No, I'm sorry I don't know who that is." She paused for the response before admitting, "I'm new."

Hearing Frobisher command, "Anyone else, just tell them no, Bridget. No more calls," sent a sharp spike of relief through her.

Minutes later, enjoying the blessed peace of a ring-less office, Bridget came over to her desk with a sticky note.

"I'll have to abandon the press list, can you set up an auto reply? You'll have to get into my account, that's the username, spears, password Hastings, capital H, rest of it lowercase."

"Right," Nehti responded, fully aware that it was never truly a request. Under normal circumstances, such a tone would have grated but the ability to access confidential information was too important to begrudge anyone's tone. Feeling the heat of her phone in her pocket, she knew that the TARDIS was keeping record of everything she said and heard.

The phone rang. Stifling a sigh, she answered it and was greeted with a sharp voice speaking in an American accent.

"Just tell him it's Captain Jack Harkness, he'll take the call." Nehti felt a shiver down her spine. This was the Doctor's friend.

"I'm sorry, I can't. If you could just leave your number or…"

He interrupted, "Tell him it's Torchwood."

"Right, and how do you spell that?" she couldn't let anyone know that she was anything more than Lois Habiba, office assistant.

"You're working for the HOme Office and you've never heard of Torchwood?" he was incredulous.

"I'm new. Started today."

"Just what I need!" His frustration was palpable. "Sorry. Not your fault. You picked a hell of a day. Listen. Just tell him Torchwood, W-O-O-D. We might be able to help, okay? What was your name?" He asked it almost as an afterthought.

Nehti caught herself and responded, "Lois. Lois Habiba.

"Good luck to you, Lois Habiba," and the connection went dead.

Looking carefully around the office, Nehti found herself clear and began looking up Jack Harkness and Torchwood in the confidential system, using Bridget's sign in information.

Information filled her screen. She read carefully.

Government Information Network

TORCHWOOD

Founded by HRH Queen Victoria in 1879 its prime purpose is to defend the Earth against extraterrestrial threat.

Initially established as an institute to investigate matters of the paranormal and extraterrestrial, the organisation has developed over the years in both activity and constitution and is currently operating as a remote team working from Torchwood 3—Cardiff.

Funded direction and independently by the Crown, Torchwood was established by order of decree. Torchwood is not beyond the Government however, with her Majesty stating that "Torchwood is also to administer to the Government thereof in our name, and generally to act in our name and on our behalf, subject to such order and regulations as Torchwood shall, from time to time, receive from us through one of our Principle Secretaries of state." The Torchwood Charter, Dec. 31st, 1879.

It continued further but Nehti didn't need to read any further. The Doctor's information was confirmed. Torchwood was meant to be Earth's first line of defense against extraterrestrial threat. And yet they were not contacted, even though they called to help. This was the beginning of what they came here for. She reached for the keyboard and entered the codes to send all the information on the screen to the TARDIS.

Nehti spent much of her time afterwards doing her best to both look busy and keep tabs on what was happening in Frobisher's office. She wished that she had attempted lip reading before now. It was a difficult skill to master on one's first try. She narrowed her eyes in concentration. Telescopic vision also would not go amiss where that classified folder was concerned. As Bridget returned to her desk and began typing, Nehti looked over at her keyboard, waiting for the opportunity to investigate further.

Once Bridget walked away, Nehti used the log in on the sticky note to read her email.

Subject: Blank page

ORDER TO KILL

Colonel Michael Sanders (ret.d)

Ellen Hunt

Captain Andrew Staines

Captain Jack Harkness (active)

Right. That was not a good sign.

On her way back to her small flat, she stopped by the TARDIS.

"We have got to assume that there is a reason why the government wants Torchwood left out of the loop. For the sake of simplicity, let's also assume that they want Jack dead for the same reason." He saw the look on her face. "What's wrong?"

"I spoke to him today. I can't believe that he's going to die. That my employers," she spat the word in disgust, "are going to murder him."

"He'll be just fine," the Doctor soothed. "It'll take a hell of a lot more than that to keep him down. Don't worry about that. We know that Torchwood eventually takes control so they won't succeed. We just need to help Torchwood along, especially now that their Hub has been destroyed. That's where you come in, Nehti."


	24. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Mrang Island

Atdo System

52,024

Jack buttoned his shirt before pulling on his boots. His employer had strict demands about the appearance of his uniform and Jack didn't want to lose a good gig because he got sloppy with the details. Checking himself in the mirror hanging from his door, he walked out to meet his employer, a Perseid who preferred to be called Mr. Nain. Mr. Nain owned a successful mining operation on Kidle that had conducted several hostile takeovers, which had won him countless violent enemies. He depended on Jack's protection to travel, work and live. Jack was only too happy to oblige. The job paid well, kept him on the move, and provided plenty of time for entertainment.

"Alright Mr. Nain, what is on the agenda today?" he greeted his employer.

As the Perseid briefed him on the day ahead, Jack went about sampling the tea, toast, jam, sausages, and fruits that comprised his employer's breakfast, searching for any attempts to poison him. Once he was assured of the safety of the meal, he served it to Mr. Nain and stood watch over him as the other man ate. As he watched him chew his food, Jack began to contemplate the security demands of the dinner party being held that evening. Many of Mr. Nain's rivals would be attending, and while he hoped that the greatest undertakings would consist of verbal insults and threats of the business variety rather than physical, he was not paid to hope for best case scenarios.

As the day progressed, Jack proceeded to scope out every building Mr. Nain entered, studied every crowd they walked through looking for any type of assassin, tasted every sip of water and morsel of food that was presented to the man. Mr. Nain had come to this planet to complete a business deal that what quite beneficial to himself but could be harmful to others. As such, Jack was on high alert. For many people, this would become tiresome and exhausting but for Jack it resulted in a rush of adrenaline that helped his days to pass with a minimum of self-immolation.

As they returned to the hotel, Jack checked their transport over for explosives or poisonous gasses before opening the door and ushering the other man in. Back at the hotel, Jack swept their rooms for listening devices and hidden weaponry before excusing himself and returning to his own room to prepare for the dinner that began in a couple hours. Dialing up the faucet to its hottest setting, he let the pounding water work out the tension and knots in his muscles before setting about cleaning up.

As he dried off and changed into a clean uniform, he studied himself in the mirror. He did not have a bad set up here but he wondered if it was not time to move on soon. Obviously, he would not leave his employer high and dry but the restrictions that were sometimes placed on him grated and in those moments he longed for greater freedoms. The discipline he lived under was nothing new to him, having grown up in a threatened colony, working for the Time Agency and serving in countless wars. However, he was not the kind who tolerated such regulation for long periods of time. He smiled in the mirror and checked his teeth before leaving to meet his employer.

The Perseid was greeted as an honored guest at the party. Jack studied the party guests, having long ago ceased to see any other humans in the universe, and decided that at first glance it looked safe but he kept close to Mr. Nain. The dinner proceeded with little fanfare, everything being served from communal dishes did much to give the guests piece of mind, although all had their bodyguards taste the food in their presence. The meal was closely followed by discussion of business, politics and drinks, naturally tested. A string quartet played, giving those couples who desired a break from the conversation with dancing.

As things began to wind down, Jack began to relax. Most assassination attempts would have been made in front of as large an audience as possible in order to prove a point as well as win the notoriety of taking down one of the most hated businessmen in four systems.

He shook his head, his mind feeling fuzzy. Looking around he saw the other guests also struggling to remain conscious. As he felt his vision go dark, he realized the error of his logic.

Waking up in the morgue, he grabbed clothing as quickly as possible and endeavored to escape before anyone could discover his miraculous resurrection.


	25. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Day Two

London, England

September 5th, 2009

Nehti patted down her hair and straightened her blue jumper before entering the doors to John Frobisher's office. Walking in, she looked at the television before speaking.

"Morning," she greeted the other occupants of the room. She continued to look watch the screen as it flashed images of emergency personnel and rubble, her heart aching as she realized that it was the remains of what had once been the heart of Torchwood. Walking to her desk, the reporter's words followed her as she took off her coat and went to work. She quickly organized the car that Bridget had left a note asking for before moving on to other research.

Having committed the contents of the sticky note to memory and shredding it, she was able to sign into the government system without hesitation. Although not strictly necessary to her mission, she felt drawn to learn more about the organization she was now tasked with aiding.

Classified Information—Authorised Personnel Only

Log in ID: Bridget SPEARS

Torchwood: Organisation: History: Archive: Personnel: Case Files

Organisation

Originally establish at the MacLeish Estate in Aberdeenshire some 130 years ago, the organsation has since found homes in Glasgow, Cardiff and London although Torchwood 2 in Glasgow is thought to have disbanded and Torchwood 1 in London is now defunct following the Battle of Canary Wharf, during which the base was subject to an alien confrontation in which most of its agents perished.

Torchwood 3, located in Cardiff Bay is thought to be the last operational Torchwood post although there are still some private acquisitions which Queen Victoria herself made that are unbeknownst to us.

Nehti noted that the picture of the building in the file corresponded with the one airing on the news.

She continued to flick back and forth through the screens, finding a picture of Jack Harkness. She hadn't expected him to be so good looking. Underneath his picture she saw the official statistics, as well as the ORDER TO KILL notation.

She switched quickly to a different screen as the door to Frobisher's office opened again. Her heart was pounding in her ears, she really wasn't cut out for subterfuge. It was much more the Doctor's domain.

Her nervousness caught Bridget's eye.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah," Nehti mustered a smile. "They're expecting us, the car's waiting."

"Well, come on then." Nehti rose to follow her as Frobisher walked past, his phone ringing.

"Hello?" He paused for the response. "Is it Harkness?" Nehti sincerely wished she could hear the other side of the conversation.

"Take him to Ashton Down. Keep him under surveillance." He disconnected the call and continued walking.

Nehti ran after him. "Sorry, sir, I couldn't help hearing. That name. Harkness. Is that Captain Jack Harkness?" She was desperate for whatever information she could get. "From Torchwood? Only he was trying to contact you yesterday. I did mark it in the log. Said he could help."

"Not now, he can't." Frobisher dismissed her questions.

"Are you sure?" Nehti pressed. "He was very insistent. He told me his team were the experts at dealing with things like the children thing." At that moment, she knew that she had said to much.

"He told you that? Over the phone?"

"Yes." She hoped he didn't see through her lie.

"He always was an arrogant sod."

"So, he can't help? He's not really the expert?" She hoped by forcing the issue, she could convince him of the necessity of bringing in Torchwood.

"That bomb in Cardiff last night. He was the one at the center of it. It tore him to shreds." At this, Frobisher walked away.

Still unwilling to give up, Nehti turned to Bridget. "Does that mean whoever's behind the bomb's behind the children thing? Like they wanted him out of the way or something?"

"Lois, your job—you don't overhear phone calls. You speak when you're spoken to. Okay?"

Nehti knew that she had overplayed her hand. "Sorry."

Arriving at Thames House, Lois followed Bridget and Frobisher up the stairs, trying to keep a low profile. The last thing she needed was to lose this job through her carelessness. As they stepped into the lift, Frobisher's phone rang.

"Hello…and what's the bad news?"

Once again, Nehti regretted her limited knowledge of the call.

"Jesus Christ!"

Exiting the lift, Frobisher is given a construction hard hat.

"I haven't got time to worry about this, Johnson," he told the man. "I've got more important things in my in-tray. What about Cooper and Jones?" Nehti remembered those names from the Torchwood files.

"No sign of him yet. We've had a sighting of her at a Cardiff ATM."

"We need the whole team out of the way by tonight. Get it done."

As they reached a cordoned off area, Bridget pulled Nehti to the side. "What here."

She complied, but it did not prevent her from trying to sneak a peek but had little luck.

Back at the office, Nehti signed back onto the Government Information Network under Bridget's log in and saw the latest headlines. The children were still behaving oddly. So were her coworkers, she thought as she watched Bridget enter Frobisher's office and he picked up the phone.

Subsequently, the phones began ringing incessantly again.

"I'll have to put you on hold…hello?" Nehti spoke into the receiver. "I'm sorry, it's a bit chaotic here at the moment with the children thing…Can you spell that please. Give me the name and I'll look into it, and get back to you now."

She caught a glance of Frobisher and called over, "There's a call waiting, sir."

"Take a message!"

"It's the Home Secretary," she pressed on. "And your wife wants you to call her."

"Okay," he gave in.

Reaching over for the ringing phone, she answered, "Hello. John Frobisher's office."

"Can I speak to Mr. Frobisher, please?" A woman's voice filtered through the line.

"He's not available at the moment. Can I take a message?"

"It's Gwen Cooper from Torchwood. I need to see him urgently. Can you set up a meeting?"

Nehti's eyes widened with realization and she hesitated. "Erm…I'm not sure."

"Just put me straight through, then."

"He's very busy." She tried to stall as she thought through all her options on how to approach her.

"Yeah, he would be! Who is this?"

"Lois. Lois Habiba." She wondered if it would ever be possible to say that name without feeling like a fraud.

"What happened to Bridget Spears?"

"She's on another line."

"Do you know what Torchwood is, Lois?"

"Yes."

"The you should know that right now you lot need us. The whole world needs us. We can help. But someone's trying to kill us. Someone who claims to be working for the government."

"Why would the government want to kill people who can help us?" Nehti hoped that this line of inquiry would provoke Gwen to look closely at what was happening and not look to the government for answers.

"Exactly, that's what I have to find out. That's why I need to see him! Look, I know this sounds mad, but you have to believe me."

"I do. I do believe you." Lois felt desperate and wondered how she could clarify this for Gwen without endangering her. As Frobisher exited her office, she quickly tried to cover. "Hold the line, please."

As he left, she switched back.

"If you're tracing this call…"Gwen threatened.

Finally, she's taking the hint, Nehti thought. "I'm not."

And she lost it again. "So you can set up a meeting, then?"

"Yes." She could certainly set up a meeting for herself and then be as candid as necessary.

Walking into the cafe she had arranged to meet Gwen in, her stomach tied itself into knots. She wished there was a way to do this all in the open, but of course that would defeat the purpose.

She walked over to the woman whose picture was in the database.

"Hi, I'm Lois."

"Where's Frobisher?" Gwen demanded straight off.

"He's not coming."

"Why not?"

"Oh God, this is probably the worst mistake of my life. I've read your files. Some of the stuff you've done, you're like unsung national heroes." She knew that as much as she wanted to, she could not let her facade of Lois Habiba slip. She had to convince them that she was an innocent, naive, human office assistant, in over her head. Honestly, it wasn't much of a stretch for her.

"Listen, I don't do autographs and I don't want to be rude, but why am I talking to you and not your boss?"

"Because if he knew you were here you'd be dead. He gave the order to have Jack Harkness killed.

"Are you sure?"

"I've seen it with my own eyes."

"We are really in trouble," the man with her responded.

"Do you know a Captain Andrew Staines?" she asked, trying to connect the names of the others on the list.

"No." Gwen Cooper answered.

"A Colonel Michael Sanders? Ellen Hunt?"

"No," she repeated.

"They're all dead," Nehti explained. "They were killed on the same day as Jack Harkness. I didn't sign the Official Secrets Act to cover up murder. But then, I didn't take the job to commit treason on my second day. What am I doing here?"

"You tell me, Lois."

"If you're the bad guys, why doesn't it say that one your file? And if you're the good guys, who am I working for, and why do they want you dead?"

"Listen," the man said. "This is a lot to talk about. And we're going to arouse suspicion. And we haven't ordered. When we went on the run, we didn't have any money, see? We put the last of the coins into the phone box to get through to you. So if there's any chance you could, er…" Seeing Nehti pull out some money he smiled, "Thank you. Oh, great. Thanks. That's magic."

Gwen looked to him, "I'll have steak pie and chips. And a cup of tea."

"Just a latte for me," Nehti requested.

"Okay, I won't be a sec. I'll leave you to it."

"Thanks," Gwen told Nehti. "We owe you one. A big one."

"Everyone in the office seems to think what's happening with the kids is all to do with aliens. And that they'll be here tomorrow. And there's something big being built on the top floor of the MI5 building."

"Okay, what do you mean something?"

"I don't know. But it's like they're getting ready. And if you lot…Torchwood…if you're the alien experts, and they really are coming tomorrow, why does Mr. Frobisher want you out of the way all of sudden?"

"I've no idea. But I'm going to find out. Can you tell me anything about Jack Harkness? Or Ianto Jones?"

"Jones is missing. I've been told Captain Harkness is dead."

"Well, that can't be true."

"Well, that's what I thought." Nehti kicked herself before covering, "I overheard Mr. Frobisher say to keep him under surveillance. I mean, why do that to a dead person?"

"Do you know where they're keeping him?" Gwen asked.

"I've got a floor plan in my bag." Nehti reached down to pull it out as the waitress came with their order.

"It's, um….it's a military compound."

"Are you sure?"

"That's where Mr. Frobisher told them to take him. Salt?"

"Thanks. This is brilliant work, Lois…The only problem is, how do we get inside?"

"Well, Mr. Frobisher's just authorized the release of a body from Ashton Down. This is Rupesh Patanjali."

"They must have thought he was one of us," Gwen concluded.

"Well, the undertaker's name is Richard Rossiter and he's got an appointment to pick him up at 5:30 today. I was thinking, access to a funeral director would be easier than access to a secure military compound. So...he'd have to pass through here," pointing to a street map, "at some time between 5 and 5:15 to get to Ashton Down for 5:30, and there'd be no witnesses. The name of the contact at the compound is a Corporal Camara. His number's on there, and he'll be expecting you. Sugar?" She saw the looks of amazement on their faces and wondered if she came too prepared. "I'm a PA. It's what I do."

"When this is all over, and you want a job, come and see me."

Nehti grinned, filled with relief that she passed muster. Going by the TARDIS that evening, she was proud to tell him that she had made successful contact with Torchwood and that she anticipated further cooperation between them. Her joy at succeeding so far was tempered with the fear of what was yet to come.


	26. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Battle of Mrakis Valley

Pnesian Civil War

50,254

Jack ripped open his ration packet with his teeth and hungrily consumed the contents. Finishing off the bland protein substitute, he crumpled up the packaging and threw it aside. He was still so hungry. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt warm and satisfied. The threadbare blanket he pulled out of his pack would do little keep him warm but it gave him a small amount of comfort to wrap himself up in the cloth as he tried to rest in between skirmishes.

He had been fighting in this war since it began 74 years earlier, on both sides of the conflict. In the beginning, it was little more than an adventure, and an easy way to earn extra money. Wealthy heirs always existed in war zones and seldom wanted to fulfill their duties. Pointing and aiming a gun was something he was very good at, he'd had plenty of experience. Getting paid large sums to fight on the behalf of these scions of money and power, receiving a soldier's wages, and having most of his physical needs taken care of by the military was a lucrative proposal. He had once heard war described as being long periods of boredom interrupted by brief bursts of terror, or something to that effect, and he found it quite accurate. It was one of the things that drew him to the life.

One of the other soldiers near him grunted in his sleep before rolling over. Jack never quite understood how anyone could sleep in these conditions. Obviously, his inability to sleep likely was a factor in that, but he envied them their escapes from reality. In his younger years, he had always wished for more time, finding that sleep took away from the productive hours of the day. It's amazing how little he appreciated the restorative power of sleep until he no longer had it to run to. He only seldom was able to find respite when wrapped in the warm arms of another.

The beauty of the rising sun was incongruous to the death and destruction of the battlefield before him. The two sides had been fighting over control of the valley for 7 months, trapped in a stalemate for 6 of those. He didn't know what the strategic value of this territory was, but he didn't much care. He wasn't fighting for any particular cause. He fought for his next meal, as inadequate as it would be. It did not endear him to many of his comrades but he had learned that becoming emotionally invested in the outcome was the surest way to get hurt. He wasn't going to make that mistake again.

"Get your asses over here!" a short, stocky man with a full beard and deep set eyes called out over the sleeping men. Slowly, they shook themselves conscious and began collecting their meager possessions before congregating around him. He was he commanding officer for their company and began every major skirmish with one of his pep talks. Jack wasn't a fan at the best of times and he certainly wasn't in the mood today.

"Now, those filthy sons of bitches think that they are going to take this valley from us, the valley we've defended with our blood, our sweat, and our tears!" Jack rolled his eyes at the trite sentiment but granted that it was more eloquent that what he usually managed. "Now, we've received intelligence that they are going to try to overrun us but we will not let it happen! Now, prepare yourselves for the fight of your lives! They're coming!" The company around Jack cheered this pronouncement but Jack just cringed at the youth and naivety of his comrades. The problem with a war spanning over 70 years was that the combatants just got younger and younger. And more inexperienced.

Hearing the battle cries of the approaching army, Jack pulled out his gun and his knives. He jumped over the bunker and entered into the fray, crying out in savage delight. This was his element. This is where he needed to be.

Three months later, Jack met his demise at the wrong end of a bayonet. Two hours after that, he awoke in the middle of the abandoned field, picked himself up and walked away from the valley. He had fought hard, earned his wage, and now he was ready for his next commission. He had heard that the other side had improved their rations. Maybe it was time for a change of ideology.


	27. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Day Three

London, England

September 6, 2009

Nehti needed coffee. All the intrigue was giving her a migraine and the black, liquid caffeine was what she needed to get out of bed today. She was now so well trained that just hearing the cafe phone ringing made her jumpy. She was so lost in her own thoughts, she almost didn't recognize her name being called.

"Hello. Is there a Lois here? Lois Habiba?"

"That's me," she answered as she shook herself out of her fugue.

"We're not a call center, hurry up."

"Hello?" she spoke into the receiver, not certain of what to expect.

"Lois, look to your right." Gwen's voice was on the other end. Looking over, she saw he standing on the other side of the road on a mobile phone and carrying a laptop case. "Don't hang up. Don't hang up. I need five minutes. Just five minutes."

Well of course she wasn't going to hang up, but then again, Gwen didn't know that.

Minutes later, they sat facing each other over a table. Nehti felt like she needed to up the ante. If she made this too easy, it would eventually make them suspicious, as it should.

"I've helped you once. And that's enough. If anyone finds out what I'm doing…It's treason. It's literally treason. Offenses like this can be tried without a jury. They could do anything to me." She looked over at Gwen earnestly, hoping the the Doctor's measure of the situation was correct.

"I know," Gwen responded. "You said they're building something at Thames House. And we need to find out what it is."

"That's the most secure building in the whole country. I can't exactly smuggle you in!"

"You don't have to. You jus…" Gwen trailed off as someone passed by their table. As soon as he was a safe distance away, Gwen turned the laptop so that when she opened it Nehti could see the screen.

"Just keep your eyes open," she finished her thought. "Like this." Opening the lid to the laptop, Nehti was able to see what Gwen was seeing displayed on the screen.

"But…where's that coming from? That's not a webcam, that's you."

"And to the right," Gwen shifted her gaze. "And to the left. And back." She looked at Nehti.

"Where's the camera? On your jacket?" The Doctor didn't have anything like this. He would have given a regeneration for something like this.

"In my eyes."

"Oh, my God," was all she could manage. Nothing like this was on the TARDIS. It was so odd for someone to have more advanced technology than the Doctor. It made her slightly uncomfortable.

"When you wear these, they'll transmit a picture so we can see what's going on. And more than that, we've got lip-reading software. Just look at someone when they're speaking, and it'll translate it. Press enter on that." Gwen gestured to the keyboard. "Go on." She waiting for Nehti to hit the key. "Now it's working. Say something."

"Like what?" she asked Gwen and then saw replicated on the screen. "Oh, my God, that's weird." She saw the echo of her words scroll onto the image of herself.

"And we can send messages to you. Type something. Go on, anything," Gwen urged.

Nehti tapped the keys for a few moments, "Hello Gwen." She wasn't sure what she expected but it certainly wasn't Gwen responding to her greeting.

"Hello Lois."

"You can see that? In your eyes?" Nehti watched Gwen take out the cameras from her eyes, looking all the world like a pair of normal contact lenses.

"It's good, isn't it." Gwen closed the laptop lid. "If you wear these, we can find out what's going on. And then, we can help."

"But I can't." Nehti knew that Torchwood must become involved but she wasn't sure if this was what the Doctor meant. "What if they…I don't know, scan for bugs, or something?"

"Yeah, they will but they won't register. I promise."

"I can't, though. Getting you information's one thing, but that's putting me right on the front line." And taking you off it was Nehti's unspoken thought.

"You're the only friend we've got left."

"Even if I get into Thames House, I can't get on to Floor 13, that's where they're building this thing, but Frobisher only takes Miss Spears with him, I'm just the office girl!" She failed to mention that her over inquisitiveness had put her in a position even less suited to do so.

"Well, you'll have to find a way inside."

"But how?!"

"I don't know, you'll have to think of something."

"I can't! I'm sorry, I've got to go." She never wanted to be put in a position of sole decision making. It was okay to do what the Doctor told her, to help Torchwood, but she never expected to be on the front line, all on her own. She stood and began to leave.

"Just take them with you. I am begging you, just think about it." Gwen pleaded with her.

"I've really got to go."

"Please, Lois." She tried to pass on the box with the lenses.

"I can't."

"Please."

Nehti just wanted out of there. She wasn't cut out for this type of thing. She could take the lenses and put them in a drawer. In the very bottom of a drawer and forget they ever existed.

Back at the office, Nehti sat at her desk and fretted over the lenses in the bottom of her purse. She knew that it was what they had come here for but she couldn't help but wish that he had been given a safer assignment, one that didn't have so many opportunities for failure. She remembered her father telling her, when she wanted to drop out of the school play because her sister received the better role, that the quickest path to failure was giving up at the first. She had come this far. She had to see this through.

"Nothing from Jodrell Bank, but we might as well get ready. Bridget, get everything you need, we'll transfer to Thames House." Frobisher gave out his commands in a strained voice.

"What do you want me to do?" Nehti asked hopefully.

"Exactly what you are doing now. Just answer the phones," Bridget answered.

"Well…I could come with you to Thames House. I could help."

"I don't think so."

Nehti hoped she wasn't making a mistake. "The thing is…Mr. Frobisher asked me to come." She held her breath.

"When was that?"

She swallowed. "He said he wanted me. At his side."

"What for? Why on earth would he need you?" She looked suspicious.

In for a penny, in for a pound as the humans would say. "It was a…private conversation." At this, Bridget's face fell and she slapped the folder she was carrying in her briefcase angrily. Nehti sensed that it would be a good tactical move to back down.

"You're not the first, you know. Don't go thinking, you're the first."

"Then I can come?" She tried not to betray her surprise.

"Apparently so."

Nehti's body was awash with relief and terror. She had committed herself to this path. She now needed to see it through.

Entering Thames House, Nehti blinked, trying to accustom herself to the idea of inserting lenses. She hoped that they would be able transmit what they needed to Torchwood and that all this was not for naught.

"It's happening!" a man shouted as the alarm system went off. She followed everyone as they ran for the stairs. Frobisher entered the lift but refused to let anyone else go up with him. Nehti, somehow carrying three briefcases, stood with Bridget in the middle the stairs, wondering what she was supposed to do now.

Sitting on a bench with Bridget and another man, they waited for Frobisher. When he arrived, rather than give further instruction, he just sat down himself and cradled his chin in his hands.

Their tense silence was interrupted by a ringing phone.

Frobisher answered, "Prime Minister. Sir," before walking away.

Nehti craned her head, hoping that the lenses would be able to capture his image and make use of the lip reading function but it didn't seem like he was saying anything at all. He hung up the phone.

"Shit."

Still sitting next to Bridget, they watch Frobisher.

"There's a creature in that room. It's powerful, and it's toxic, and it's capable of God knows what. I bet you're glad to be trotting after John Frobisher now." The bitterness in Bridget's voice made Nehti even more uncomfortable.

The hours passed uneventfully, Nehti was sure that nothing she was hearing or seeing was any use to either Torchwood or the Doctor but she had worked to hard to get here to walk away now.

A man walked over, "If the support staff could take the stairs, the lift is reserved for Mr. Frobisher and his personal staff. Fast as you can. Best of luck, sir."

Nehti's stomach flipped as she realized that her job was coming into fruition. Standing at the foot of the stairs with Bridget and Frobisher, she felt the weight of too many expectations on her shoulders.

"Big moment. History," was Frobisher's contribution to the mood.

Oh if only he knew. Nehti barely contained her panic.

As the others began walking up the stairs, Nehti remembered that she had not yet inserted the lenses.

"Um. I'm just going to…pay a visit."

In the MI5 toilet, she looked around for witnesses before removing the lens case. With nervousness borne of having never done this before, she carefully inserted the first one into her eye, then the second in the other. Almost immediately, a message popped up in her vision

'Thanks!!!"

Startled she exclaimed, "Oh, God. Don't do too much of that." She didn't know how much more her nerves could take. "Is that you Gwen?"

Almost immediately, she received a response. 'Yes its me'

Nehti put the lens case back and said to half to herself, "Right then. Good luck."

':-)'

Nehti packed up her things and left the toilet. Entering the lift, she steeled herself for what was coming next.

"I suppose it's an honor. Given this position." He sounded like he was trying to convince himself.

"The again, the Prime Minister has guaranteed that diplomatically, he can't enter Floor 13, so whatever happens in there, whatever goes wrong…history will say that it wasn't his fault." Bridget Spears had been by his side long enough not to allow himself his illusions.

"D you mean he's using me?"

"You don't get to be Prime Minister by accident," was all she would say in response.

Getting off the lift, she studied her surroundings as best she could, trying to give Torchwood as much information as possible. Seeing the smoke-filled chamber, she knew that it was important and she couldn't tear her eyes away. Luckily, she was not the only one gaping at it.

Taking a seat at the back of the room, she pulled out a pen and paper, just in case she needed to get a message to them, and equally, to play the part she was here for.

'Get closer' The words appeared in her vision and she shook her head in denial. It was about to begin.

"Thank you. If I might bring into session, the first diplomatic congress between the representatives of Planet Earth, and the representatives of the 456. I bring you formal greetings from the United States of America, from the People's Republic of China…" Nehti knew that she was in the right place. This was where everything with the 456 was going to happen. This is where changes needed to be made. "From the Holy See of Vatican City…"

'Need his moth' Nehti was confused until a revision appeared. 'Need his mouth'

Nehti tried to find a seat which would allow them to see his face, finally getting him in profile.

':-)'

"I must ask you to state whether these greetings are accepted." At a lack of response, he tried again, "Do you understand me? I repeat, according to the rules of protocol, as established by the United Nations in the directives of…"

"Yes." The 456 interrupted him.

"Then I thank you on behalf of the United Kingdom, the Russian Federation, the Commonwealth of Australia, the Citizens and territores of Canada and Japan and the Hellenic Republic, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Iraq…"

Nehti saw 'Can't hear alien' and felt stupid. Of course they wouldn't be able to hear it, there were no visible faces to read. She was grateful for the TARDIS translator for giving her a way to communicate to them quickly. By her time, shorthand was a lost art but she hoped that someone at Torchwood would be able to translate it.

"…And the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It might be easier if we take those names as read from now on, don't you?"

At this, the alien had a fit, spewing green gunk on the glass and banging its head. Confused she wrote, "What is it doing?"

As far as a response, 'God knows'

"Are you all right?" Evidently, Frobisher didn't have any more of an idea. "I'm sorry, but I can't help being concerned, is there a problem?"

The 456 echoed his words back at him.

"Do you want me to continue?" he pressed on.

"Yes."

"Right, then. In the spirit of cooperation, we have a formal request to make. We ask you not to use our children for communication. In case certain parties or territories might consider that a violation. Is that acceptable?"

After a long pause, "Yes."

"Thank you. And, as a gift, and was a welcome to this world, we've prepared a document summarizing our culture and history. This document can be made available to you immediately. Though its format remains undetermined, said format remains of your choosing, though this does not constitute a request for information on. Or transfer of, specific 456 technology." Frobisher paused to accept a note, "I have been given a request for specific information. It has been asked…why the 456 chose Great Britain as its chosen point of embarkation."

"We came here…you have no significance. You are middle men. We have a request."

"By all means," Frobisher responded graciously.

"We want a gift."

"Of course. But…what nature of gift…what nature of gift, exactly?"

"A gift." Nehti suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. This would become quite tedious very soon.

"Gladly. But what do you want?"

"We want…your children. We will take your children." Nehti remembered the words of the humans they had interrogated what seemed like a lifetime ago. It all began with the baby stealing aliens.

"I'm, I'm sorry." Frobisher was obviously taken aback. "I think that there might be a problem, with the translation. By children you mean…"

"Your descendants. The offspring of the human race."

"How many?" Nehti was appalled that he would even ask.

"10%. We want 10%. We want 10% of the children of this world."

Nehti felt sick, and had the feeling that she wasn't the only one.


	28. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

O'Lopez's Irish Bar

Myrr

51,956

"That'll be 5.34," a gruff voice interrupted Jack's blank haze.

"Oh. Yeah. Right." He thrust the coins in the bartender's and accepted the Druish whisky. The cloudy liquid went down with a sharp burn that temporary broke through the muddle his bender had made his brain. "Good stuff," he concluded with a sigh before closing his eyes against the bright lights of dim interior. The dirty bars always had the best booze, he concluded happily. Any place too upscale and clean always stocked the cheap stuff to use in fancy mixed drinks filled with juice and pieces of fruit. No. If you really wanted to get pissed, the holes in the wall were always your best bet.

The same was not true of brothels, though. In that instance, you got what you paid for. Same with drugs. If you went too cheap you were liable to get more crap than mind-altering chemical. No, bars were easy. He liked it that way. Too complicated gave him a headache. He'd much rather spend his time in a filthy rathole with his head at the bottom of a bottle than figure out the mess of anything else in the world.

He frowned at the liquid remaining in the glass. He could have sworn that there was more in there a minute ago. Shaking his head, he waved over the bartender.

"'Nother Druish whisky, keep 'em comin'," he managed to slur out. Better to make his requests clear while he still could to avoid any unfortunate mix ups later. A few more of these liquid fireballs and it would all be a blur anyway.

Aquinz Watering Hole

Zniuqa

52.326

"Ahhhhhhggggg!!!!!!!!!!"

A loud cry went through the bar at the sight of the bottle breaking against the other man's head. Jack turned back to his ale. Best invention the Aniugans ever made was Perbr ale. Twice the kick and none of the hangover to hound him in the morning. Or afternoon. Or any other time of day his credit chip ran out and he had to wait to refill it. He drained the glass and turned back to the fight.

They were blocking the bar. _They were blocking the bar_. If you had to get into a brawl, fine, not his problem, but to do so in front of the bar, blocking his access to more of this fine Perbr ale was inexcusable.

"Of all the…" he foggy mind was unable to supply the words necessary to describe the gall of the men but he blood understood the anger clearly. Walking over to the bar, and pushing bystanders out of the way, he got up there and shoved the one holding the broken glass.

"Get the fuck outta my way," Jack growled at him. He leaned up against the bar and called over the girl cowering in the corner. "Hey! I want more o' that ale. How much?"

She started at him in terror and he realized that the bottle-carrying asshole was still behind him. He turned around and stared at him. "What's your fucking problem?"

Next thing he knew, he face was mashed up against the wood of the bar. "Fuck."

The man's previous opponent by that time had been dragged out by his friends and there was no one to distract his anger, no one else was stupid enough to draw attention to themselves.

"Look, I'll buy you a drink and we can just pretend that this never happened. I'm looking for a buzz, not a fight."

Rather than respond, the other man bashed his head against the table.

"Or not." Jack gave up logic and let his instincts take over for him. He may not have been looking for trouble but he sure as hell could make those who brought it on him regret it.

Jack thrust his elbow into his opponent's face, startling him, then turned around and kneed him in the stomach. Winded, the man fell to the ground where Jack let loose a few kicks to the head and torso. Stepping on him to make his way back to the bar, he tried again. "Ale. Now."

The girl handed it to him without turning her back, afraid to break eye contact with him.


	29. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Day Four

London, England

September 7, 2009

Nehti watched as Frobisher and Bridget lead everyone back into the room. "Everyone follow us please. Thank you."

She hurried towards the front, determined that she would not miss a thing, for Torchwood or the Doctor. The smoke-filled glass box put her nerves on edge. She couldn't help but stare at it. Frobisher seemed afraid to approach the box again. After a moment of indecision, he strode forward.

"Hello again. Before we consider your request, I have been asked for a point of clarification," he announced. Nehti was shocked and disgusted that they would even consider it that long. It should have been an obvious refusal but of course, as history showed, it hadn't been.

"Before we even discuss," at this word, Frobisher seemed to betray the same emotions coursing through Nehti, "your…your request, we need to know exactly what it is that you intend to do with the children."

Nehti wasn't sure that she wanted to know but knew that she must nonetheless. Of course, the 456 did not immediately answer the question, instead commenting, "Somebody is watching. Some remnant." It then spewed more green gunk on the glass and banged its head. Nehti wished she understood why it was doing that. Perhaps that knowledge would make it less frightening. She suddenly recalled that Torchwood couldn't hear the 456 and she quickly wrote out to them, "Somebody is watching."

It seemed that John Frobisher turned his fear into anger. "The Prime Minister, the leader of the United Kingdom, this country, is watching through this camera here." Nehti wasn't sure that it was that camera the 456 were referring to. "And he needs to know, what would happen to our children if we were to hand them over to you."

At this, the 456 finally responded. "It is…off the record?" The words gave Nehti chills. It obviously had heard that distinctly human terminology before.

Frobisher also paused before stepping forward again. "Yes."

"Come in."

Nehti struggled to conceal her shock. She wasn't sure there was anything in the entire universe that could convince her to go into that box and she knew quite a bit more about the situation than John Frobisher did. She hurriedly relayed the message to Torchwood.

"In there?" Frobisher seemed to have the same reservations that she did.

"With your camera," was the response. "Come in." Nehti was relieved. It meant that at least Torchwood would also be able to see whatever it was that the 456 had to show Frobisher.

She watched in silence as cameraman suited up to enter the toxic environment. She heard them tell the man that he would be able to speak to them on the outside. She knew that she should be happy that she would be able to relay more information to those who needed it, but it also filled her with a kind of dread. She saw that they were keeping a close eye on the vital signs of the man as he entered the tank.

She crept up behind Frobisher to get a better look at the television screens. Bridget threw her a look but didn't say anything. The 456 were hideous, like something out of a nightmare.

The man monitoring vital signs broke the silence. "I'm getting three heartbeats."

"It's got three heads," Frobisher responded dismissively.

"No, there's…there's three distinct forms of life in there." Nehti felt her stomach drop. Frobisher seemed astonished by this sudden revelation, looked back over at the tank and then leaning in toward the screen.

"Get closer," he ordered the cameraman. The cameraman was already hyperventilating in fear. Nehti felt like she was about to join him.

At first, she didn't know what she was looking at. Then she saw the human eyes staring out of the sunken face, the mask fused over the mouth. It was human. It was a human child. It wanted 10% of humanity's children to turn into this. She couldn't stop the tears, the horror, the grief.

"What have you done to him!" Frobisher was horrified.

The 456 began spewing green liquid and banging the glass.

"Get him out of there! Get him out!" Frobisher ordered frantically. "Get him out!"

The 456 spoke, a chilling parroting of human politician, "It would ensure the smooth running of diplo, diplomatic relations…" but the cameraman, pressed against the glass shouted over it.

"John, get me out of here!"

"…Between Earth and the 456, 456, 456, 456 if that previous encounter was kept off the record, off the record, off the record." It skipped and repeated like a broken record. "…It's private, private."

By now, the cameraman, in his green splashed suit was out, crying for them to get the suit off him.

Frobisher's eyes were wide and horrified. "This is unacceptable."

"We do not harm the children," the 456 replied. "They feel no pain. They live long beyond their years."

Nehti felt the tears begin to well up again but fought them back. It was horrible but it didn't explain what exactly they were doing to those poor innocents.

"We have answered your question. You have one day to select and deliver your ten percent." Nehti transcribed without looking too closely at the paper. She couldn't bear to see it in writing but knew that it was necessary.

"And if we refuse?" Frobisher asked. Nehti could only hope that the image of that child would be enough to end this. They had surrendered in the timeline they were trying to change. She couldn't bear the knowledge that she would watch it happen.

"We will wipe out your entire species." Nehti's hopes died. Most species were terribly vicious when it came to self-preservation, especially humans.

Bridget Spear, John Frobisher and Lois Habiba sat outside the room on a bench. Bridget held her head in her hands but Nehti was frozen. There was only so much one could feel at a time and she had far surpassed her allotment.

Frobisher spoke first. "You two should get a couple hours sleep while you can." As if any of them could sleep after everything they had just seen. Nehti didn't think she'd sleep for a long time yet.

"So should you." Even now, Bridget was still mothering him.

Frobisher's mobile rang. "It's Harkness. Ring Ashton Down, see if you can get a trace on it. Strong coffee. Loads of."

Nehti was wrong. She could still feel. She was disgusted that after everything, he was still willing to have Jack Harkness murdered. She got up and went down the corridor where someone was gesturing to her. By the time she returned, the phone call had ended.

"Sorry. Um, the Prime Minster wants to see you."

Nehti followed with Bridget into the conference room. Bridget gave her rapid fire orders for her conduct within the walls.

"Take notes. Facilitate. Generally make sure it all runs smoothly. The most important thing is to blend into the background. No one should know we're there."

Once everyone was seated, the Prime Minister spoke. "Ladies and gentlemen. It's been decided we're going to make the 456 an offer." Nehti felt bile rise up her throat. "A realistic number, something we can manage, and then we see what happens."

"You mean we're going to haggle." the woman next to him smirked. "What about the military option?"

"There's nothing to take action against," Oduya, the military liaison responded. "Evidently the 456 must have some sort of base of operations in orbit, but our satellites are showing nothing. Whatever's up there, it's beyond our technology."

"There's a target sat in Thames House." The woman spoke again.

"Taking that out would be a declaration of war," Oduya finished for her.

"A war we can't win," the bald man across the table said needlessly.

The Prime Minister jumped in. "That's why I've invited John to address Gold Command. In terms of managing the figures, what could we offer and get away with. We need to know…"

Nehti looked at him. Part of her didn't want to believe that he would go along with this.

The woman cut back in. "Look, it won't just be Britain, will it?"

"The idea is that every country makes a camouflageable contribution." The Prime Minister's calm horrified Nehti.

Frobisher turned around. "Can you pass me the FAS file, please?"

Nehti took the empty tea cup but tried to keep an eye on Frobisher.

"For a start, there are 21 children in Oakington right now. 21 units." He corrected himself. "Unaccompanied asylum seekers awaiting deportation."

The bald one spoke. "And no one would miss them." The Prime Minister gave a short nod. "We need more. Can you bump the numbers up to 60?"

Frobisher took a long moment to check the file. "I think so. Uh, we can have them all in Oakington by first thing tomorrow."

"Thank you, John." The Prime Minister was dismissive. "Now go back to Thames House and consult with the 456. Make them an offer of 60 units and no more."

Frobisher refused their company back to Thames House. Instead, they remained in the conference room and watched it on the screen.

"I'm sorry, but we have discussed your demands and we've arrived at a solution that might satisfy both parties. I've been authorized to offer you one child for every million people on planet Earth. That's about 6,700 in total. Sixty two from the UK alone."

"That is not acceptable," was the immediate reply.

"Six thousand seven hundred. Six seven zero zero. That's our final offer. It's more than generous. I'll give you some time to think about it." With that, Frobisher walked away.

The cameras remained on. The 456 began to speak. "Three two five zero zero zero. Three two five zero zero zero." Nehti felt chills down her spine.

"It's confirmed." The bald man spoke. "Three hundred twenty five thousand is ten percent of the children, the, uh, units in this country. Every country is saying a different number, which, in each case, amount to 10%."

"I think it's fair to say that our final offer has just been rejected." The Prime Minister didn't betray a single emotion to this. "Okay. Thanks everyone, let's take a break."

As everyone stood to leave, the bald man interrupted. "It's worth considering though. The world's population will be 9 billion by 2050. That's a two and a half billion rise. The UK will go from 61 million to 77, every one of them needing food and water, a home, transport…"

Nehti heard this conversation and couldn't believe her ears. The Prime Minister interrupted. "Rick, Rick, Rick, Rick. What are you suggesting? A cull of 10% would do us good?" He sounded slightly angry.

"I'm just saying, if we need to spin this to the public, and God knows, at the moment, spin is all we can do, then in an age when we're terrified by the planet's dwindling resources, a reduction in the population could possibly, just possibly, if presented in the right way, be seen as…good."

Bridget pulled her away from the door before she could see the Prime Minister's response. She was terrified by what it could be.

"With regrets, ladies and gentlemen, I have to tell you that we're now facing the worst-case scenario. And right now we don't have time for our discussion on ethics. I'm afraid the hand-wringing will have to wait. All we can do at the moment is to address a number of vital and practical questions."

"Namely, how do we select the ten percent who would go?" Rick finished. "How would we transport them? And how could we sell it to the voters?"

"John?"

"Well, the selection's not down to me," he told the Prime Minister.

"Nevertheless. Practical solutions, please."

"Once the selection has been made then my department can arrange to bus all the children together to the rendezvous points together, school by school." Nehti had to write it down since his back was to her. "My staff are compiling various school databases. You just need to decide what criteria you'd use for selection. Which is out of my hand. Over to you, sir."

"Anyone?" The Prime Minister seemed determined not to be the one to make any decisions. Neither did anyone else. "Might I remind you the clock is ticking?"

Oduya answered first. "It would have to be random."

"No one'll believe it was random," the woman answered. "Not unless some of us are seen waiting at school gates for empty buses to return."

"If the criteria is demonstrably fair and entirely random, then at least we could defend ourselves…"

She cut him off. "So you're willing to risk your kids to make it look fair?"

"Then how else do we choose?"

"We could do it alphabetically," Rick responded.

"Oh, yes. Thanks Mr. _Yates_."

"I didn't mean…I've got no kids. I wasn't trying to…"

The woman was relentless. "Yes. No kids and no consequences." She addressed the Prime Minister. "And yours have already grown up."

"Let's keep this civil, Denise," he told her.

"Oh, yes, let's discuss the loss of millions of innocent children and let's be civilized about it!"

"If you wouldn't mind, yes."

"Could we limit it to one loss per family?" Oduya asked. "Every second-born child."

"That would take more time, more organization. Time we don't have," Frobisher answered.

"So. It would have to be one school at a time."

This announcement was met with silence.

"Look. I'm going to say what everyone else is thinking." Denise looked around. "If this…this lottery takes place, my kids aren't in it."

"I'm sure the families of Gold Command would be exempted anyway. In fact, isn't that official policy? During a major civil emergency, we're also dealing with deeply debilitating personal grief. It's hard enough as it is." Rick announced.

"I'm right aren't I?" Oduya repeated. "It is official policy that our families get protection. So we could have a show of hands. I hate to be crass, but in the circumstances…

"Well, who votes? Those with kids or those with no interest to declare?" Denise interrupted him.

"No one votes." The Prime Minister was solemn. "It's down to me to make an executive decision."

"Do you need some time?" Rick asked.

"No. Whatever happens, the children and grandchildren of everyone round this table will be exempt."

"What about nieces and nephews?" Denise stared at the table.

"Don't push your luck!"

"You seriously expect me to look my brother in the eye…"

"We need to limit the number of people who know."

"Look him in the eye and give him a condolence card?"

"That's the responsibility of government, Denise," he shouted.

"No, the first responsibility is to protect the best interests of this country, right? Then let's say it. In a national emergency, a country must plan for the future and discriminate between those who are vital to the continued stability and those who are not. And now that we've established that our kids are exempt, the whole principle of random selection is dead in the water, anyway."

"Only so far as…"

She didn't let Oduya finish and snapped, "Let me finish. Now, look. On the one hand, you've got the good schools. And I don't just mean those producing graduates. I mean the pupils who will go on to staff our hospitals, our offices, our factories, the workforce of the future. We need them. Accepted, yes? So, set against that, you've got the failing schools, full of the less able, the less socially useful, those destined to spend a lifetime on benefits, occupying places on the dole queue and, frankly, the prisons. Now look, should we treat them equally? God knows we've tried and we've failed. And now the time has come to choose. And if we can't identify the lowest achieving ten percent of this country's children, then what are the school league tables for?"

Nehti was appalled that they could consider the fellow members of their species as disposable. Furthermore, that no one had a response to this.

"Anyone want to speak against that?" The Prime Minister was met with silence. "Then there we have it. John, you have your criteria. We've selected the ten percent."

Nehti nearly ran to the restroom to splash water on her face. She refused to believe that this wasn't some sort of twisted nightmare. It was too horrific. Looking in the mirror, she saw the words appear in her vision. "We can stop this. But we need your help." It was too good to be true. She nodded.

Returning to the room, she settled back on the bench and waited for Frobisher to address them.

"We need a cover story, to explain why the operation is happening and to encourage participation. So the suggestion is we announce that the children will be given some kind of inoculation, a jab to stop them speaking in unison. We stress that there's no immediate danger, that everyone will be seen in due course. Then, when it goes wrong and the children disappear, we blame the aliens , claim ignorance and face the music."

"We say the 456 double crossed us?" Oduya was incredulous.

In Nehti's vision she saw, "Jack's in position. Let's do it."

"Excellent. It's is the alien's fault. That is where the blame should lie, not with us."

Nehti hesitated. She wasn't sure that this was the correct mode of action but she had been unable to reach the Doctor. She had left him a message, explaining the plan to him but he had yet to contact her.

"We play the part of naive dupes, not willing accomplices." Frobisher acknowledged.

"We're not willing. No one in this room is a willing accomplice." The Prime Minister seemed almost offended.

'Jack is in position. Do it NOW' Nehti wished for more time. She wasn't ready.

"Thank you, John. Comments. Anyone?"

"This is going to take a hell of a lot of organization." Nehti began to raise her hand, too timid to interrupt. "We'll have to stand the police down and put the army in their place. We barely have time to talk. We need to get this thing moving."

"Then, should we reconvene at 1800?"

Nehti saw her opportunity slipping. She managed to speak. "Excuse me."

"Lois, stop it." Bridget scolded her.

"I have something to say."

"Really?" The Prime Minister did not seem interested. "Well, it's nice you want to make a contribution…what was your name?"

"Lois. Lois Habiba, sir." She stood in an effort to feel less intimidated by his condescending stare.

"Well, thank you for your hard work, Lois. It's much appreciated, but this really isn't the best time."

"I'm sorry, sir. I know I'm only supposed to be here to take notes. But, erm, I am a voter."

"Listen, love, this isn't a referendum," Rick seemed almost amused.

"Lois, could I have a word outside." Bridget stood to force the issue.

She ignored her. "No, but it needs saying."

"Lois, seriously, not now." Frobisher seemed frustrated.

"And I'm not just speaking on my own behalf," she forged ahead.

"Just what we need, a revolutionary," Rick spat out.

"If you like, sir, then that's what I am."

"Oh yeah? You and whose army?"

"Torchwood." The atmosphere in the room changed instantly.

"What?" The Prime Minister seemed frozen.

"Don't be ridiculous." Frobisher scowled at her.

"But Torchwood has been recording all these meetings. And everything that's been said around this table, every single word, spoken by every single one of you, will be made public, unless you do exactly what Torchwood says."

"And how exactly are you going to make us do this?" the Prime Minister challenged. "Torchwood's been destroyed."

"I"m afraid not, sir. Right now, Captain Jack Harkness, head of the Torchwood Institute, is in the reception of the MI5 building. So you're going to stand aside and let him do his job and deal with the 456. Immediately." She enjoyed the feeling of power but realized that she didn't know what to do next. "And…uh…I think that's it."

The room was silent as they watched Captain Jack Harkness and Ianto Jones confront the 456. Nehti felt her mobile phone vibrate in her pocket. It was a message from the Doctor.

"It's playing out almost as if it's predetermined. There is no way Ianto will survive this. Don't worry, I have a plan."

Nehti felt faint.

The 456 released their toxin. Nehti couldn't believe that she had worked so hard with no result. She felt like giving up.

Frobisher spoke. "The building's designed to withstand chemical and biological attack. Nothing or no one can get in or out."

The Prime Minister looked at Lois. "Happy now?"

No. Not in the slightest. Seeing Jack say his goodbyes to Ianto made her heart break. That was what they were supposed to avoid. She missed the days when failure did not have such a high price.

She seemed to be the only one affected as the Prime Minister then asked, "What now?"

"Two choices," Rick answered. "Either we go to war against an enemy we can't beat or we go to war against our own people for their own good."

"An injury to one is not an injury to all, we have to surrender," Denise refuted Jack's earlier statement.

"Thirty five million children," the Prime Minister put it in simple terms.

"Or 6.7 billion people," Denise stressed.

The Prime Minister turned to Frobisher. "Start putting your plan to action."

The Doctor said he had a plan and she knew that she had to have faith in him. It was just difficult to see how he could make this right.


	30. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Radisio

Island of Promi

54,093

The problem with running out of currency was that you then had to work to earn more, Jack contemplated as he watched his new employer play the yraar table. He wondered what happened to all the classic casino games: craps, poker, roulette, but then realized that he didn't care enough to investigate it further. He knew the they were all originally human games but then again it'd been decades since he'd last seen hide or hair of a human. He smiled briefly at the quaint expression. Seemed that no matter how long he travelled, Earth was still somewhere in his blood. Well, sooner or later, that would change.

"Oi, Frinter!" Jack looked over at his newest client. He severely disliked the man but had no idea how to escape his contract. At the time that he signed it, he didn't think twice about the clauses the prohibited him from walking away from his employer. And, unlike previous clients, he did not seem to be a big enough target to die in the line of duty for. Which left him following the unpleasant little man around from casino to casino, watching him ratchet up the millions of which Jack would only get a small fraction of.

"Yes, sir?" Jack enquired politely, a pleasant smile on his face. He was fully aware of the fact that he was echoing a particular Welshman from his past but chose to ignore it.

"Get your arse over to the bar and get me another one of these purple things."

Jack looked at the grotesque, sparkly monstrosity for a moment in distaste before turning around and fulfilling the request.

The drink was even more disgusting in all its untouched glory. The sickeningly sweet smell wafting over towards him turned his stomach and he made a point to hold it even further away from him.

"There you are, sir. Will you be needing anything else?" At the lack of a response, Jack took two steps back and continued to watch his client shuffle around the small discs that he was playing. Jack didn't know the rules of yraar but then again, he didn't much care. He never really cared to gamble. If he was going to spend his money, he preferred to do so on more concrete, pleasurable pursuits. Food, drink, company…something more fulfilling and lasting than a few minutes of random chance. If he ever felt the urge to press his luck, it would be in a really difficult con, something that required more skill than flipping chips of guessing the speed of Pairiran racers. For that reason alone, he knew that any wealth he worked to accumulate would last twice as long as that of the idiots who employed him.

He looked up in surprise. It seemed that this round was getting quite heated, no doubt due to the arrogance of his newest client.

"Filthy vermin!" One man in a white voer spat out vehemently to Jack's client. "Cheater!"

"That's a rather serious accusation to be throwing around without proof," his client replied smoothly. "You're lucky that I'm such a good sport, or I'd be rather offended by this."

"Proof? You want proof?" he sneered. "That's the 9th white chip you've spun. I've been counting."

"Perhaps you've lost count," was the cold reply.

"Lost count!? There are only 7 in the set!" At this, the other players at the table quickly looked through to confirm it. Sure enough, all the white chips had been played. There was no possible explanation for the additional chips, other than the one already suggested.

Jack suppressed a grown at the 8 other players turned to look at his client. Of course it would be his luck to not only work for a cheat, but a lousy one at that.

"Idiot!" He muttered under his breath. "If you're going to be that sloppy, you deserve to get caught." Nevertheless, it was his job to protect the fool and he did not want to suffer the consequences the being in breach of his contract would bring him.

"Now gentlemen," he stepped forward smoothly. "We don't want to start anything. We'll just return the winnings back and we can forget this ever happened."

He knew the minute that the words left his mouth that it was the wrong approach. Before he had a moment to react, the original man, in the white voer, slid a long knife through Jack's ribcage and into his heart. He fell the floor, blood soaking through his coat. His employer was gone.

Well, his last thought began, at least I don't have to work for the jackass anymore.


	31. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Day Five

London, England

September 8, 2009

Nehti sighed as she sat down on the blue pad that made up her bed in this cell. Imprisoned for espionage. It had never occurred to either of them that the Doctor and her failure to keep Ianto dying would result in her being taken into custody. She knew that the Doctor would get her out sooner or later; she just had to sit and wait. Suddenly having to readjust to inactivity after being so involved in the action proved more difficult that she had thought it would. She ached to know what was going on. Nehti considered herself lucky to have gotten a couple hours sleep considering how wound up she was, and the terrible nightmares that plagued her, but she still felt hints of exhaustion edging around her mind. She remembered a few months ago the Doctor trying to teach her some sort of space alien meditation. She sat and stared at the opposite wall, trying to remember the principles. Anything to help pass the time.

She was interrupted some time later by a voice. "Cell M-3, Captain Harkness 9:30 am." Finally, someone who could let her know what had happened since she was arrested. She got up, went to the blue metal door of her cell and peeked through the small, round window.

"Captain? Is that you? Captain Harkness, it's me. It's Lois. It's Lois. Captain? What are they doing? What's happening out there? Can you hear me? What do we do? Captain?" She grew increasingly agitated as he remained silent. What had they done to him? Why wouldn't he answer her? How was the Doctor's plan going to fix this?

She tried to continue meditating, but she was too worried to focus. So much had depended on them getting it right and so far they weren't doing too well. The Captain's mental well being also seemed to have suffered. She wasn't sure if any plan the Doctor could have contrived would be enough to fix it.

Sitting with her back against to the wall and her knees up to her chest, she because lost in thought of what they could have possibly done differently. She knew it was useless but there wasn't much else to spend the time with.

She heard a key turn the lock of her door and she looked up to see who it was. Bridget Spears was the last person she expected to come visit her. She watched Bridget take a seat across from her but she didn't know what was going to happen next. She waited for Bridget to make the first move.

"I've come to tell you how we met."

Nehti was confused but she asked the most obvious question first. "Who?"

"How I met John Frobisher. It was 30 years ago. You weren't even born. I was on attachment to the civil service, only for six months. And just down the corridor, there he was. You wouldn't think it to look at him now, but he was a clumsy thing. Always losing his keys." Bridget smiled in fond remembrance. "Mr. Swales never thought he'd amount to much, but I thought, well, keep an eye on that one. And all the others came and went. The high flyers, they burnt out or went on to something better. And do you know what John Frobisher did? He kept working. Head down, worked hard, all his life. It was another 10 years before we actually worked in the same office." She smiled again. "He asked for me. I didn't think he even knew my name. And we made quite the team. I'm not saying he was perfect. You know that better than me."

Nehti looked down. She certainly did. She wasn't sure what the purpose of this was. She wasn't likely to feel sympathy for the man. Bridget continued, "But he worked hard. He always worked hard. I don't think that's valued enough these days, hard work. And he was a good man. I want you to know that. John Frobisher was a good man. Because when the history of this is written, they'll talk about the ministers, and the soldiers, and the things with numbers for names. And I think people will forget how very good he was." Bridget looked to be on the verge of tears. "I want you to remember him like that. If ever you think of John Frobisher, just remember that it wasn't his fault."

Nehti nodded slowly. It was obviously important to Bridget that she understand this and, honestly, it wasn't truly his fault. She started when she saw Bridget pull out the contact lens case for the lenses she wore for Torchwood. She had been forced to surrender them as evidence.

"Now, I fully intend to get the bastards for what they did to John but I need your help. How do these work?

Nehti thought back to when Gwen gave them to her. "They go into your eyes like regular contact lenses but everything that you see, Torchwood will see and can record. They have lip reading software so if you can get a good view of the person's face, they can hear what that person says. It is important that you get as good a look as possible." She was very clear on this point, it wouldn't do any good to have useless images. "Just make sure to have them in, once you get them on, you won't even realize that they are there so you'll have to be extra sure that you remain vigilant on getting a good look at everything you want to record."

She handed the lenses back to Bridget.

"Thank you."

A long moment passed in which they both looked at each other. Bridget never broke eye contact, "Now, I think I should get back to work."

Getting up, she signaled for the guard to open the door and let her out.

Several hours later there was a commotion in the hallway. Leaping up from the bed, Nehti looked out the window in her door to try and see what was happening. It couldn't be the Doctor, he would prefer to break her out with a bit more subtlety. She heard Captain Harkness' voice. He didn't sound like he was going willingly.

"Captain! What's happening?" She didn't expect an answer considering his earlier silences but she couldn't ignore what was happening. She pounded against the door futilely. "Captain Harkness! Captain Harkness!"

When the guard came to open the door, she assumed that it was all over. She collected her things and left the prison without a word. Digging through her purse, she found a bus ticket and took the bus to where the TARDIS was still parked. She stood outside the doors for a long moment, gathering her strength before entering. Taking out her Yale key, she unlocked the door and stepped inside.

"Doctor?" she called out.

"Ah, Nehti! You're back!" The Doctor stepped into the console room. "Good timing. I was just wondering if I would have to go break you out."

"I managed, thank you." She gave him a brief smile. "What's your plan to save Ianto?"

"Once I saw Jack and Ianto head for the MI5 building, it occurred to me what was going to happen. Very sloppy on Jack's part, I must say." The Doctor frowned at this. "By then, it was too late to stop them. But, I figured that I could use the TARDIS to prevent Ianto from dying. Obviously, it would have to be convincing because they all expect him to die but the Time Vortex could keep his brain alive. No one would think to check that. And then, once everything has died down a bit, we can fetch his body and resuciatate him." The Doctor beamed.

"Won't someone realized that they are missing a body?" Nehti was slightly more dubious.

"Not at all! In all the chaos, one misplaced body won't cause too much of a fuss and no one will admit to having seen it in fear of being accused of something improper. It'll be fine." He waved his hand at her. "All we have to do is go pick him up at the morgue."

"I don't think they've gotten the bodies to a morgue yet, Doctor."

"No, but they will tomorrow. Come on! It's brilliant!"

"Only if it works." Nehti gave him a tight smile. Their original plan had been less risky, in her mind, yet it had failed. What would they do if they screwed this up as well?


	32. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

London, England

September 10, 2009

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Doctor?" Nehti asked anxiously as the Doctor fussed with the dials and switches on the console. "I mean, it wouldn't do to overshoot and have to dig Ianto out of his grave."

"We'll be fine, Nehti," the Doctor reassured her, not looking up from his work. "We aren't time traveling so there is no reason why that should happen. We're just relocating the TARDIS so we don't have to carry him quite as far."

Nehti didn't look quite as encouraged as he had hoped she would be but she no longer voiced her concerns. With the practiced ease of experience, the Doctor fiddled with another two switches before the TARDIS began it's journey into a storage closet of Albion Hospital.

"After you." The Doctor nodded towards the door as he picked up his coat. She took a deep breath and hoped that she would not be met with an armed guard. Peering into the dark room, she noted it was empty and stepped through the doors and searched in the shadows for a doorway into the main hospital. Following behind her, the Doctor reached out directly for the doorknob and walked into an abandoned hallway.

"Well, look at that," he exclaimed with a note of satisfaction. "Just where we want to be. Don't look so nervous Nehti, the morgue is closed for the night. There isn't anyone here to catch us."

Nehti hated it when he read her mind like that. She still wasn't convinced that it wasn't really some sort of alien mind invasion, despite his protests. Curiosity got the better of her, "Exactly how many bodies have you taken in your day?"

"Oh, not many. Although grave robbing is a time honored human tradition. It's how they figured out how all those little bits that they're made of all fit together. May have helped out a time or two. Or eight." He studiously ignored Nehti's bewildered expression in favor of searching for the section of the morgue set aside for victims of the 456's virus. Giving up on logic, he pulled out the sonic screwdriver and reset the settings to search for the elements of the TARDIS keeping Ianto alive.

"Another few centuries and this trick wouldn't have worked," he mused aloud. "Contemporary humans figure that if it doesn't have a heartbeat and is cold, it's dead. Checking brainwaves of accident victims won't become common practice for quite some time. It's a good thing, too. Any other way of preserving Ianto's life would have been horribly complicated and rife with side effects."

"Oh, lovely," Nehti responded. She was thoroughly unnerved by the room full of human corpses. How anyone could work in this environment day in and day out without going mad was utterly beyond her. "As it is, what type of side effects should we anticipate?"

"Oh, the normal. Confusion, some short term memory loss, nothing to worry about."

Nehti rolled her eyes at this. Only he would find such symptoms "nothing to worry about." She imagined that Ianto might have something to say about that when he came to.

"Found him!" The Doctor pulled out a storage drawer and revealed a black nylon bag with a large zipper down the front. "Help me with him, would you?"

"Should we leave the…sack…he's in behind?" Nehti looked at it apprehensively.

"Nah…far less creepy to carry a sack than an inert body." Nehti shuddered at this but did not disagree.

Walking over, she said, "It's likely to be a bit on the heavy side. Are you sure that we'll be able to carry it. I've read that bodies tend to be heavier when unconscious."

The Doctor pondered for a moment, nodding his head in agreement and looked around for a trolley. Finding one, he brought it over and the two of the set about heaving the heavy body on it. Finally wrangling it onto the trolley in such a way that it wouldn't immediately fall the floor, Nehti slumped over it.

"And we have to do this again to get him off it!" she groaned and pushed her hair back.

"Yep!" was the cheerful response she received and the two of them began to push the trolley out of the morgue, down the hallway and back to the TARDIS.

Once Ianto was brought safely onboard the TARDIS, they brought him into the medical bay and set him on a treatment bed.

"I'm just going to return the trolley. Go ahead and get him out of that bag and we'll set about bringing him around."

Left alone with Ianto's body, Nehti swallowed hard. Intellectually, she knew that he wasn't dead and that soon enough he would be walking and talking again but looking down at the body bag, she couldn't help but shudder at the thought of handling and feeling the cold flesh of what was essentially a corpse.

Shaking off her reticence, she reached over for the zipper and pulled. She was surprised at how easily it slid down the teeth and then caught an eyeful of the bag's contents.

"Oh dear." She felt faint. She closed her eyes and tried to push out the negative thoughts and focus on the most important one. 'He's not dead. Not yet. We saved him. _I saved him_.'

At this moment the Doctor returned.

"All right, Nehti. Are we ready?"

"Let's get this done," was her only response.

The Doctor walked over to the treatment bed and entered some data into the console screen before hitting a button. A tense few moments passed before the Doctor spoke.

"It's working."

"How can you tell?"

"Just look."

His skin was warming in temperature and regaining its color. She leaned over to get a closer look when he took a deep breath of air and opened his blue eyes.


	33. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Cargo Bay

The Bultis Flier

54,876

God, interstellar travel sucked. Jack stared up at the beams and metal sheets holding the vacuum of space at bay. It was cold, boring, and entirely unpleasant. Not even the presence of the other passengers could alleviate the utter, mind-numbing monotony of traveling long distances by regular, non-time-traveling ships.

"Hey, Boyr's got a few swallows of Hyrer brandy he's passin' 'round. Want to come join us for a bit?"

Jack looked up at the pasty young…girl? who had addressed him. He had not exactly been inviting the attentions of his fellow passengers, not being in the mood for the company of others. Of course, they had a few more months on this hunk of moving metal, and it wouldn't kill him to try to be more sociable. "Sure." He got up and made to follow the shockingly pale figure.

In the other end of the cargo bay, he fellow passengers sat around an exhaust vent, taking the hot air from the engine room and venting it into the cargo bay. It wasn't very warm by the time it made it to them, and it dissipated quickly, but they welcomed the respite from the icy cold that it gave them.

They looked up at him in surprise, not expecting him to join them. In an attempt to dispel the awkwardness of the situation, he spoke, "Hey, heard you all had some Hyrer brandy. Mind if I join in?" The smile on his face felt uncomfortable and he wondered if it was as soothing as he had intended it to be. It had been so long since he had smiled, he wasn't sure if he could render a passable approximation of one anymore. Apparently, it was close enough, as they made room for him to join them and an unidentifiable bottle was thrust into his hands. He took a deep swig and passed it along. They all looked over at hims approvingly.

"So…got any good stories to tell? We're just about out," a pretty purple creature with a tail asked.

He thought for a moment. It had been lifetimes since he had told any of his stories, and the ones he had told had too many memories of the old Torchwood team to be comfortable. He sucked in a deep breath.

"Sure." He thought before he struck on a story he thought he could stand to retell. "Once, I was on this planet that used these ancient technologies called reels to store their entertainment on. These things lasted for decades and eventually became obsolete but people still liked to collect them. Some mysterious creatures hid themselves in the reels so that they would never die. When the reel was played years later, they came out of the reel…" He recalled fondly the mystery of the Ghostmaker and his Night Travelers. Ianto had been deeply disturbed by the event and the deaths of their victims but long experience had taught Jack to rejoice in the life that had been saved. He wouldn't say that it was easy or pleasant to recall these times, but it wasn't quite as unbearable as he expected.

Seeing the faces of his audience, he switched his next story to one involving acrobatic twins and a waterbed that had living fish swimming in it.

"…And then, Hani slipped on the throw pillow, caught Tani's necklace in her third arm, and punctured the mattress with her zari spikes. The place was soaked and I found three fish moving in a place you don't ever want to find a fish, living or dead!" He finished triumphantly, the other passengers in tears. "Now, I've shared with the class. I know you all have something to share, too."

With the attention off him, and feeling part of the group, he relaxed and let the experiences of the other species flow over him. While he had countless stories to tell, he would never have the earnest simplicity and simple joy that they had. It made him deeply envious but at the same time, he knew that he would never last long with that naivety. As the bottle passed to him again, he took another swallow and basked in the comfort of normality.


	34. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Medical Bay

The TARDIS

London, England

September 10, 2009

Nehti and Ianto let out identical screams of terror and scrambled in opposite directions.

"What the bloody hell is going on? And where are my pants?" Ianto found that facing a highly disconcerting situation in the nude did not help matters. Last he checked, he had been fully clothed, dying in Jack's arms after the 456 released a virus into the air at Thames House. That was not exactly conducive to waking up in a strange room with strange people. Or rather, Lois Habiba and a strange person.

"You scared the life out of me! Don't do things like that!" Nehti scolded him, waiting for her heartbeat to return to normal.

The Doctor looked at the two of them, amused. He reached into a small sack he had brought back with him when he returned the trolley and tossed it over to Ianto. "Here are your personal effects. Evidently, the coroner felt the need to remove them before placing you in cold storage."

A very red, very flustered Ianto fumbled with the bag, pulling out his pants and vest and hurriedly put them on before reaching in for the other garments. Struggling to compose himself now that he was now appropriately covered, he steadied himself and looked up at the stranger. "Again, what the hell is going on? Who are you and why are you here? Even better, why am I here and where exactly _is_ here?"

The Doctor let out a grin. "I'm the Doctor, and this is my Companion, Hari Nehti."

"The Doctor?" Ianto looked at him incredulously. "You don't look like the Doctor Jack talks about? Which version are you? And Hari Nehti? I thought your name was Lois Habiba."

Nehti looked at him sympathetically. "Sorry. I was just there to give Torchwood and eye into what was happening. I'm not actually from here."

Ianto paused to absorb this information before looking back at the Doctor. "And you?"

The Doctor looked at him for a moment before answering. "I'm the 13th incarnation of myself. I believe the me that you would have heard about is my 10th version. But I'm not that different from him. You can still trust me." He ended this earnestly.

Ianto looked at the two of the dubiously. "So..I imagine that I'm on the TARDIS." Seeing their nods, he continued. "And, I'll go one further in thinking that the reason I'm not currently dead is the same reason for why I'm here."

"Yes," the Doctor said gravely. "By all rights, the virus that the 456 put in the air should have killed you. It has a 100% mortality rate."

"So why aren't I dead?" Ianto looked pale at the thought of how close he had come and yet still survived.

"Because you're too important. You're death would have echoed across all time and space. Trust me, we saw it firsthand. So we came back to keep it from happening. Which did not exactly work out as planned." At this, the Doctor frowned. "You weren't supposed to be anywhere in the neighborhood of danger but obviously, that didn't work out. So we used the TARDIS to keep your brain functioning until we could fetch you."

"And the virus?" Ianto struggled to keep all this straight.

"Oh, it worked. It shut down all your major organs. Once that happened, it died of its own accord. So you are no longer infected." The Doctor gave him a cheerful smile. "And we were able to use the TARDIS to coax your organs to kick up again and work. The key was keeping your brain alive, which worked a treat. As far as everyone was concerned, you did die. But now you're not."

Ianto sat down suddenly, his head in his hands. "And Jack? Does Jack know what you've done?"

"Er…no. There wasn't exactly time to fill him in on the game plan. But he'll understand, I'm sure of it. At any rate, he'll be so happy to see you alive and breathing that he won't think too much about it." The Doctor looked slightly abashed at this line of questioning but it was too late to do anything about it now.

"And…exactly how long have I been…dead?" He was still having a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that he died. He had been in Jack's arms, poured his heart out to him, and then died just to be brought back to life.

"Oh, two days. Not very many." The Doctor was relieved by the change of subject but it did not last for long.

"Jack has spent the last two days thinking that I'm dead and you've let him?" Ianto's outrage was clear. "How could you do that to him?" His mounting tirade was cut short by the Doctor's sober stare.

"It was necessary. There were things that he needed to do. I haven't enjoyed his suffering but there was no other way. Please, believe me. I would never let him endure something like this unless it was absolutely necessary."

Ianto was torn by wanting to castigate the Doctor's cruelty and acknowledging his sincerity.

"But now we can tell him I'm okay, right?" Ianto's eyes bored into the Doctor's beseechingly.

"No. There is more that he needs to do."

Nehti and Ianto looked at him in horror. "How long?" Nehti demanded on Ianto's behalf.

"A few months. On the whole, not too long. Especially not for an immortal."

"Months." Ianto's voice was oddly flat. "You expect me to let you leave him to punish himself for months. Unnecessarily. For months,"

"He managed to fend of the 456 but at a high cost, Ianto. He needs time to process it and mourn. If we drop you into his lap right now, I'm not sure how he'll react. He needs time to soothe the hurts he's experienced."

"But months? And to soothe hurts that he doesn't even need to feel?"

"Logic is a powerful thing, Ianto Jones, but not as powerful as emotion. Yes, we brought you back, but for him your death was real. As was many things that happened later. We need to let him grieve so that he can feel the joy again.

Ianto was not convinced but the steel in the Doctor's voice made plain that he would not be swayed.

"Months then. But so help me, Doctor, if he's a wreck I'm taking it out on your hide."


	35. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Katarza Palace

Senuri Atoll

55,021

"And now, I'd like to present my son, the Crown Prince of Senuri Atoll, Crich." The affluently dressed leonine man stepped aside and permitted the younger man behind him to step forward the the welcoming cheers of his future people.

Jack stood in the sidelines, wondering why he had been invited to attend this event and was going to be expected of him now that he had arrived. No one had been inclined to talk to him only making sure that he was dressed in the appropriate attire for being in the presence of the royal family. He figured that sooner or later his purpose here would be revealed to him, he would prefer sooner, of course.

Taking a good luck at the Crown Prince, having no interest in the content of his speech, he noticed that he seemed like a well-rounded member of the species. The golden mane of hair and matching eyes were quite striking and his body, while not bulky, radiated quiet strength. Fixing his gaze on the assembled crowd, he noticed that while the features of Crich were common for the species, they were also quite personalized to him.

The cheers from the crush of people reached its peak and Jack assumed that the speech-making was nearing its end. As the royal family turned away to retreat indoors, one of the couriers gestured for Jack to follow.

Once the group had entered into an opulent sitting room, Jack was invited to sit down in a brocade settee. He looked expectantly at the King and his family, who were sitting across from him.

"Thank you for responding so quickly to our offer. As you have seen, my son, Crich, is due to take over the throne from me. This puts him in danger from some very powerful enemies who have been trying to steal my kingdom. I have heard good things about your reputation in protecting individuals who have reason to fear for their lives."

Jack nodded his head in acknowledgement of the compliment that was paid to him.

"If you were to accept this assignment, you would become Crich's personal guard until he succeeded the throne. Afterward, your services would no longer be necessary. We will pay you 5,090 credits per day until the assignment is complete. Should you succeed, you will receive an additional bonus of 344,443 credits. Should you fail, you will be executed. Do you have any questions?"

Jack considered the offer carefully. The money was unimaginably good, and he certainly felt up to the challenge. Should Crich ascend to the throne, he would be set for several lifetimes. If he failed, his bank account would be considerably well padded and he would be no worse off. It was an easy choice.

"I'm in. Just tell me where I can grab a meal and few minutes rest and I'm there." Jack relaxed into the chair.

Later that night, Jack was ushered into a luxurious bed chamber that was attached to the Crown Prince's suite of rooms. He insisted on examining Crich's room before allowing him to enter, refusing to shirk his duties. Once assured of the Prince's safety, he allowed himself to relax and regroup in his chambers. While this was certainly an unexpected chain of events, it was not unwelcome. Looking into the en suite, he noted the decadent looking cleaning station and decided to indulge for one night. He would go back to being the perfect, self-sacrificing bodyguard in the morning.

Jack spent the night in studying the floor plans to the palace and the other areas of Senuri Atoll that the young Crown Prince tended to frequent. There was no corner of the city that we would not be able to properly surveil, which was just the way he liked it.

25 cycles later, Jack stood next to the dais, waiting for the Crown Prince to be formally coronated. It had been a long time coming and Jack had more than a few scars to show for it, if precious few deaths. As he waited for the words that would mark the end of the assignment, he looked back out on the crowd. He swallowed. Feeling a frisson of panic, he eyed the young man with a fanatical gleam in his eye and a gun. In a swift economy of movement, he moved for the Crown Prince as the weapon discharged.


	36. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

The TARDIS

London, England to Cardiff, Wales

September 10, 2009 to March 21st, 2010

Ianto and Nehti followed the Doctor into the main control room and stood with him around the large center console. Ianto gave the cavernous room a brief glance before looking back over at the Doctor expectantly.

"Well?"

The Doctor looked mildly put out by the fact that Ianto wasn't more amazed by the sheer size of the TARDIS but considered that maybe he wasn't aware of how small it looked in the outside. Contenting himself with that notion, he turned to him.

"Rather than take the slow path and wait out those months, we can just jump ahead and catch up to him."

At this, Nehti looked alarmed. "I'm not so sure that that is a good idea, Doctor."

The Doctor dismissed her apprehensions before she had the opportunity to voice them. "Nonsense. What is the use of having a time machine if you don't use it for situations like this? Never fear, Ianto. You and Jack will be reunited in no time at all." He cast a brilliant smile in Ianto's direction before reaching for a dial. "Six months ought to do it, don't you think?"

Ianto assumed that this was a rhetorical question, considering that both he and Nehti had disagreed with him about waiting at all. With a sudden lurch, he went crashing to the ground as the TARDIS began its journey to Cardiff, six months in the future.

"You get used to it," Nehti whispered to him conspiratorially as she helped him up. "More often than not, his take offs and landings tend to result in being tossed around."

"I heard that!" the Doctor called over to them. Nehti just smiled and rolled her eyes before finishing up dusting Ianto off.

"You okay?" she made sure to ask. Bruises and broken bones were not unheard of in the console room.

"Yes, fine. Once again, the only thing harmed is my dignity." He smiled to himself. Nehti was tempted to ask for the story behind the comment but thought better of it. The last thing she needed to do was openly remind him of Jack Harkness, which is where that story ostensibly would lead.

Grabbing him and pinning him the the wall, she held them both upright as the TARDIS shuddered to a halt. Ianto threw her a grateful look before moving to interrogate the Doctor.

"Well?" he echoed his earlier comment. "Are we here?"

"Just outside those doors is Cardiff, England. March 10th, 2010. Welcome to the future, Ianto Jones."

Rather than acknowledge his feeble attempt at wit, Ianto threw open the doors intent on tracking down Jack. Nehti rushed after him, eager to see the two of them reunited, and still giving the Doctor a cold shoulder for his refusal to listen to them.

When Ianto stopped suddenly, Nehti couldn't help but bump into him. "Oh! Sorry about that!" Catching a look at his face, she continued hesitantly, "What's wrong?"

"That bastard. He couldn't even get the date right."

Nehti caught the newspaper he was gazing at and saw that it was indeed not March 10th, 2010, but March 21st. She frowned but acknowledged that it was better than usual for the Doctor. "Eleven days. That might be a record for him. His cock ups usually are much more severe than this."

"That maybe so, but I'm hardly going to let it slide," Ianto seethed.

Finding that the Millennium Centre was no where near being reconstructed, Ianto wasn't sure where next to look for Jack. He groaned.

"What is it?" Nehti was wary of his temper.

"I don't know where else he'd be. I'll have to ask Gwen."

"Oh." Nehti wasn't sure why this was a problem but she assumed that Ianto had his reasons.

Gwen and Rhys' flat was not too far of a walk from the Millennium Centre and Ianto was relieved to see that she was at home

Knocking on the door, he braced himself for a greeting by a very hormonal and pregnant Gwen Cooper. She did not disappoint.

"Ianto! On, my God! Ianto! We thought that you were dead! Oh, God!" She crushed him in a tight hug and pulled him into the flat. Nehti followed close behind.

"Lois? What are you doing here?" Gwen finally noticed her.

"Gwen, I think you need to sit down. This will take a bit to explain," he said in gentle tones. Are they were all situated in the living room with plenty of tea and biscuits, Ianto and Nehti began the tale of how Nehti became Lois Habiba and saved Ianto's life.

"So, now we are looking for Jack to let him know that I'm okay." Ianto finished, taking a deep gulp of the now lukewarm tea and feeling parched.

He looked up at Gwen expectantly. "Do you know where he's been staying? We went to where the Hub was but it's obviously uninhabitable. I hope Jack's been making sure that the recovery crews don't find any of the artifacts we left there."

"Ianto, love…"Gwen trailed off. Ianto frowned at her.

"What is it?"

"Jack…isn't here. He left."

"Left." Ianto looked down at the mug in his hands before facing her again. "Where did he go?"

"I don't know." Gwen seemed on the verge of tears. "Not two weeks ago, he came to say goodbye. He said that he couldn't stay here, on Earth, any longer. He was a mess, he had been traveling the world for months before that. I tried to convince him to stay but he transported on some spaceship that was flying by. He's gone." Lifting her head to his eyes, seeing the stricken look on Ianto's and Nehti's faces finally made her lose what was left of her composure.


	37. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Hedonist Room

The Aeyine Bagnio

55,087

Jack examined the room he had been brought it to in extreme interest. Even item in the room was designed to impart an attitude of understated affluence and meant to put the occupant at ease. Such could be said about the entire planet for that matter. He had traveled for hours up and down the streets looking for the richest, cleanest brothel he could find. Although his drunken ramblings were usually best left unremembered, his conclusions as far as pleasure planets went were rather accurate.

Not only was this the most upstanding establishment on a planet full of upstanding establishments, it also had a reputation for having the most beautiful and daring employees on the planet. So far, he was quite impressed. He had requested the most expensive package on offer, believing that if he were going to patronize a house on this rock, he was going to go all out. So far, he had not been discouraged. The massage he had been given was absolutely sinful…so many hand in so many places. It was the definition of sensory overload and he loved every moment of it.

Next he was given free reign of an inlet of a hot spring, individually formulated for his ideal temperature. The high powered jets of water thrusting out from under the rock floor did wonders for his mood. He floated among the tropical flowers that grew in the heated water and savored the bone-deep warmth seeping into his body. Spending too much time in space tending to give one an innate coldness. After enjoying a meal full of the delicacies of several nearby cultures, he was ready for the next item on the itinerary.

He turned as the door opened and he saw a statuesque blue goddess. Her four arms trailed gracefully down the front of her robe and she approached him with a sensual sway to her body. He was completely taken by the intensity of her gaze. Rather than hair, her head was covered with an elaborate headdress of jewels and shells. It was breathtaking. She laid down next to him on the bed and reached out for his face in awe. He wondered that she had never seen another human before. It was odd but perhaps not impossible. As she leaned in for a kiss, all thoughts fled from his mind. As they kissed, she slowly moved to remove his clothing. Breaking for air, he realized that she had three tongues.

"Oh…I think I may learn to love this," he breathed out before leaning in for another kiss.

Three hours later, he was calm and sated. She lay by his side, tracing delicate patterns into his skin. He almost wished he could drift to sleep, certain that no nightmares could follow such a delicious evening. He languidly stretched his muscles and resolved to do this more often in the future.

The next morning, he enjoyed a hearty breakfast, regaining his strength from the prior days exertions. He knew that was much as he enjoyed him time on the Aeyine Bagnio, he could not pass the rest of his days in such a manner.

Returning to his shuttle, he strapped himself into the pilot's chair and prepared for takeoff. Pleasure of the body well taken care of, next was pleasure of the mind. With a final flick of the control switches, he rose above the ground and set off for his next destination.


	38. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Console Room

The TARDIS

March 21st, 2010

By the time Nehti and Ianto returned to the TARDIS, Ianto's rage at the Doctor had subsided. At the first flush, he had been prepared to test the Doctor's ability to regenerate but now that he had had time to cool down, on the walk back, he was filled with horror and despair.

"He could be anywhere," Ianto told Nehti as they walked the final few yards to the TARDIS doors, his voice blank.

"We'll find him. I know that we will." Nehti did her best to be encouraging but deep down she feared the same thing that Ianto did. The universe was a large place in which to find one man, especially one who no longer had any ties to it. Silently, they crossed the entrance into the TARDIS.

"Well?" The Doctor was waiting for them. "Have you found him?"

A small speck of resentment welled up in Ianto but he tamped it down. He needed the Doctor's help if he were going to find Jack.

"He's left the planet," Ianto answered. "At the Doctor's questioning look, he elaborated. "He found a ship nearby and transported onto it. Eleven days ago." Rather than sounding accusing, his voice was desolate.

The Doctor didn't know what to say. It had never occurred to him that Jack would leave the planet. "Although that does make sense…" he mused aloud. He continued, seeing the look on his Companion's faces. "Torchwood never rebuilt. If Jack left, then of course no one would be able to. That Gwen Cooper would have been in over her head."

"Not if, Doctor," Ianto cut in. "He's already gone."

"Right…right!" The Doctor repeated, bringing himself back to the present.

"So let's go back." Ianto's color had returned. "We know where he was eleven days ago, so let's go back."

Nehti looked at him sadly. "We can't. I'm sorry."

"Why not?" Ianto snapped at her angrily. "Why can't we?"

"Because we're already part of the established events of this timeline," the Doctor said as gently as he could manage. "We can't go back and change things now. We just have to find him out there." He gestured up toward the sky.

"You went back and saved me." Ianto's jaw was set in a stubborn line, the look that caused even Jack Harkness to have second thoughts before speaking again.

"That was different," the Doctor hedged cautiously. "That wasn't meant to happen."

"Neither was this!"

"Yes, but it did. And going back to get you helped fix the wrong timeline but wee now have to act in accordance to the rules of the new timeline that we've created." The Doctor wished he could explain it all away by virtue of 'It's a Time Lord thing' but he knew instinctively that it would never work with this Companion.

Ianto looked displeased but realized that he was not nearly knowledgeable enough to argue with the Doctor's logic.

"Fine. So how are we going to find him?" Ianto's eyes dared him to say that they weren't, that they were giving up on Jack but the Doctor knew better.

"I don't know. But I'll find out," he promised.

"You had better do." Nehti spoke up for the first time in this exchange.

Both the Doctor and Ianto looked over at her with surprise. The Doctor had never had her challenge him before this adventure and he wasn't yet used to it while Ianto didn't expect her to have the same dedication that he did to Jack.

Nehti ignored their shock and walked further into the TARDIS. "Well?" she called back. "He isn't going to show up just because you two are standing around uselessly. Get to it!"

Hours and several pots of tea later, they were no better off.

Ianto stared listlessly at a research console, thinking of all the terrible things Jack must have put himself through in those six months, and the horrors he could now be suffering. He was startled out of his thoughts by Nehti's cry of delight.

"What did you find?" he asked urgently.

"Nothing here, But I had a thought. Doctor, you said that it is the presence of the Time Vortex that keeps him from dying."

"True," the Doctor responded cautiously.

"And it's the same energy that we used to keep Ianto's brain going?"

"Well, I suppose, essentially, yes."

"You were able to find Ianto using your sonic screwdriver to track that energy in him. Why can't we use the TARDIS to do the same thing to Jack?"

The Doctor thought it over for a moment before his eyes widened. "Hari Nehti! You're brilliant! I should have thought of that. _Why_ didn't I think of that?" With that, he raced to the console room to set the parameters for their search.

Ianto folded Nehti into a hug. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet. We still have to find him."

"But at least we now have a start."

"Yes, that we do."

"Just your average cold fusion freighter," the Doctor proclaimed as they stepped out of the TARDIS and onto the deck. "Rather low on freight at the moment, it seems."

"Don't move!" a shocked and angry voice behind them commanded before calling for back up.

"No need for that. We're harmless. Just you're average hitchhiker with a few questions. No need to create a fuss." The Doctor hoped to defuse the situation but it was too late. They were surrounded by armed men. "Okay, then. Perhaps not your average cold fusion freighter."

A tall blonde pushed his way to the front. "Who are you, what are you doing here, and how the fuck did you get on my ship?"

"Ah. Well, I'm the Doctor and these are my Companion, Hari Nehti and Ianto Jones. As for how we got here, I'm sure you've noticed my ship. We're looking for a Captain Jack Harkness. He should be here, about yea tall," he gestured, "dark hair, blue eyes. Looks human. Should have picked him up off Earth?"

A petite woman in stained coveralls spoke up. "We picked up a man named Dite Freir that fits that description but he disappeared ages ago…" She looked like she wanted to say more but the threatening look the blonde man gave her prevented her from speaking further. Ianto was amazed that he didn't collapse from the crushing disappointment that those words gave him.

"Kahla, return to engineering." She left, afraid to look up at them.

"Ah, no need." The Doctor was falsely cheerful. "We'll just be off now."

"Restrain them!" The blonde ordered but it was too late, the three intruders had made their way back onto the TARDIS and none of the pirates were able to breach her walls. With a thwoping noise, the TARDIS disappeared.


	39. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Aluia Spaceport

Paxtia

55,254

Jack hauled his pack over his shoulder and began scoping out the crowd for a new client. He had learned long ago that while fighting in wars was quite profitable, there was good money and good times to be had in the protection business and so he had made that his primary source of income. Which was all well and good until your client ditched you on some backwater planet without notice. Jack was not pleased. He resolved that from this point on, all of his contracts would include a clause involving significant compensation should he be terminated without notice. Because this was about as 'without notice' as one could get. The chances of his finding a reputable enough employer here was slim to none. He decided that he would give it until the next transport out to the major colonies tomorrow. He'd rather get a client sooner than later but he knew that waiting was better than getting stuck with a bad client.

He looked and saw that foot traffic at the port was winding down and decided to get a room for the night. He passed by a few of the most ostentatious hotels; anyone staying there was more interested in showing off their money than keeping it long enough to make it worth his while. He found a discreet lane that led to some of the better hotels and began walking down it. While he would rather not spend the kind of money it would take to stay the night there, it was also exactly the kind of place his next employer would stay in.

He threw his pack on the spacious bed in his room, the dirt from the bag sullying the pristine white duvet, and toed off his boots. Stretching out muscles that were fatigued from hours of carrying all his worldly possessions, he decided that a hot shower was in order and made his way to the shower. Dialing up the hot water to its highest setting, he marveled at the fact that an entire room was reserved for the shower alone. Lathering up the soap, he allowed himself a few minutes to rest, carefully emptying his mind of all thoughts and emotions, allowing the emptiness to swallow him up in the same manner the blackness of death would.

After drying off and changing into fresh clothing, Jack made his way into the cantina on the roof of the building. He was surprised by how subdued the atmosphere was. Usually these places were lively, the flow of liquor loosening inhibitions and making the patrons more sociable but the atmosphere was tense and almost unpleasant. He frowned. This was not what he had hoped for. It was highly unlikely that he would be successful here. Nevertheless, there was nothing gained by giving up. He ordered a hypervodka martini from the bartender and joined a group at the end of the bar, hoping that he would hear something that would give him an in with the group at large.

They were passing around a newspaper in a language that Jack didn't know how to read. He prevailed upon a passing waitress to translate for him.

"Excuse me. I'm just passing through these parts and I've never quite gotten the hang of your alphabet. Would you mind telling me what the head story is?"

She looked at him in amazement at his ignorance. "It's the Grish. They've come for us with a set of demands. If we don't follow them, they'll attack us."

"And that's a problem." Jack did not phrase it as a question.

"We're a peaceful people," she answered anyway. "We do not believe in violence towards others under any circumstances." With that said, she continued on her way to the table in back and missed Jack's look of horror.

He turned back to the group at the counter. "The Grish?"

They nodded solemnly. One man spoke up, "They've closed off all the spaceports. We're all trapped here now."

Jack did his best to stave off the panic threatening to overtake him. He had hoped to never hear of them again and now he was stuck facing them again. His timing always was lousy.


	40. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

TARDIS kitchen

Rangon Nebula

52,306

"Doctor, I don't understand. Why can't the TARDIS just jump to where he is? At the rate we're trailing behind him, we'll never catch up." Nehti complained as she ate her breakfast.

"The TARDIS is doing the best she can," defended the Doctor. "Vortex energy leaves a trace and we have to follow it. It's like that human fairy tale, Hansel and Gretel. We're following the trail of bread crumbs to where he is. Once we run out of trail we'll find him."

"There's one problem with that." Ianto looked at him seriously. "The bread crumbs were between two fixed points. Jack is traveling. There is no guarantee that he'll stay in one place long enough for us to find him. What will we do then?"

The Doctor had no answer.

The Boeshane Peninsula

Ianto stepped out of the TARDIS onto a barren desert planet. "This is why Jack grew up?"

"Yes. Human colony. One that remains remarkably unchanged through the millennia." The Doctor looked thoughtful. "Although, it should be at least partially colonized by now. Unless…"

"Doctor?" Nehti looked concerned and Ianto didn't know what to make of their behavior. "This was a human colony, correct?"

"Yes. And it obviously hasn't been settled by humanity. Judging by that, it would seem that the key is finding Jack."

"Sorry, anyone care to fill me in?" Ianto enquired.

"We managed to save your life and get fid of the 456 but humanity still is on the wrong track. Unless we find Jack and get the two of you back where you belong, things will remain very wrong." The Doctor looked grim at this pronouncement and turned to survey the planet.

"Well, I imagine he wouldn't settle here so we best be moving on." Ianto stated firmly. Both the Doctor and Nehti looked at him in surprise.

"How are you so sure?" Nehti looked at him with interest.

"Yes, I would think that going home would be a natural reaction to trauma," the Doctor concurred.

"He told me once that he would never be able to go home. Frankly, I'm surprised that he even stopped here for a visit but I'm certain that he wouldn't be able to stay here for too long. Too many bad memories." The Doctor conceded to Ianto's superior knowledge and ushered them back to the TARDIS.

After three more months of constant traveling, Ianto and Nehti were quietly despairing of ever finding Jack.

"This could go on for years." Ianto told her in a soft voice as they sat down with a pot of tea.

"Perhaps, perhaps not." Nehti didn't want to be too discouraging but the fact remained that they very well could spend years following a never ending trail.

"There's no one home waiting for me. My sister and her family are the only ones who care about me and they think I'm dead. They've probably gotten used to the idea. I could look for him for the rest of my life. But how much longer is the Doctor going to devote to looking for Jack? I have no illusions about his lifestyle, he doesn't stay with anything for very long and there are so many other things to distract him."

"Perhaps," Nehti repeated. "But he cares about you and Jack. He cares about humanity. He will look for as long as it takes to make things right. I promise. This is not something that he will abandon on a whim."

"And you? You have your whole life ahead of you. I know that this isn't something that you signed up for when you stepped foot on the TARDIS."

Nehti snorted into her mug. "I had no idea what I signed up for. And you're wrong. This is exactly the kind of thing I would have gone for if I had known. Besides, my family is on a human colony. As things stand now, I have no family and no home to go to." She looked pensively into the dregs of her tea and then reached over to refill it.

"Oh good. Tea!" The Doctor entered the kitchen and pulled out his own mug, a chipped ceramic vessel painted in garish colors given to him by a previous Companion. "So…what are we talking about?"

"We're never going to find Jack, are we?" Ianto asked abruptly.

The Doctor looked taken aback. "Of course we are! Why wouldn't we? We have all the time in the universe to look. He can't hide forever!"

"And how much of that forever are you willing to dedicate to looking for him?" Ianto stared at the Doctor, afraid of his answer.

"For as long as it takes. In fact, we're on our way right now to another system where he's been. The TARDIS says we should be there in an hour or so." He smiled encouragingly at the two of them before sobering. "But, if you are tired of looking, I can always drop you off somewhere. Earth. You'll fit in with the humans there."

"No!" Nehti cut him off. "We don't want to stop looking."

The Doctor brightened at that and then cocked his head to the side. A moment later, a siren went off and the Doctor shot off towards the console room. Nehti and Ianto followed on his heels. The Doctor headed straight to the viewing screen and groaned.

"It's a mauve alert," he informed them.

Nehti and Ianto looked at each other in confusion. "And that means…?" Ianto asked.

"A nearby planet is experiencing an emergency situation. Mauve is the intergalactic signal for an emergency," he clarified.

"So we're taking a detour." It was a statement, not a question.

"Absolutely not! We must find Jack. That's our first priority." The Doctor looked outraged.

"But, Doctor, didn't you say that Earth put out a mauve alert when the 456 came and you didn't respond? It must be important. Who else will help them?" Nehti didn't want to take the time away from Jack but knew that the Doctor had other responsibilities that he needed to attend to.

"No." The Doctor's tone held a note of finality.


	41. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Jack stood outside the large salmon colored building at the center of what seemed to be the downtown area. This was the center of government on Paxtia, the heart of decision-making on this entire planet. The place Jack needed access to to figure out what was going on. He looked again at the security detail. It was surprisingly complete for a planet that detested violence. He sighed. He couldn't fight his way into the facility and he didn't have the kind of credentials that would allow him to walk right in. This called for a con. And he was just the person for the job.

Two hours later, he walked over to the entrance. "Hello gentlemen," he greeted them with a smile. "I'm here to deep scrub the floors of the main entranceway. If you would permit me?" he held up his cleaning materials innocently and waited for their response. After a brief pause during which they consulted each other, he was escorted inside and shown to the main hallway. Kneeling down, he began a cursory swipe at the floor while watching the officials around him hurry about. One in particular caught his eye. A harried looking man sat down on a bench and put his head in his hands with a deep sigh. He looked like he hadn't shaved in a few days and his hair could do with a good combing. Jack knew a good mark when he saw one.

Jack stood up and brushed himself off before walking over to the bench and sitting next to the man. "Quite a bit of trouble we're in."

The man looked up at him wearily. "Oh yes. It's all such a mess."

Jack extended his hand and introduced himself. "Jack Harkness." He didn't know what possessed him to use that name. It had been thousands of years since he had allowed himself to think of it but it seemed natural now.

"Coas Okobs," the man answered in return, taking his hand and shaking it. "I'm the secretary to the Undersecretary of Cultural Purity. This has been a nightmare for our office. The aliens' demands go contrary to the cultural interests of the planet."

"How so?" Jack had never considered this angle and was genuinely curious.

"If we surrender the young men of the planet, how will our species continue? Who would pass on cultural knowledge to the next generation if there even is a next generation? A once sided view of culture is counter to the entire idea. It's a nightmare," he repeated in conclusion. "Wait, why am I telling you this?" He looked at Jack anew.

"Because I'm the best resource you have to getting rid of them," Jack answered with a toothy smile. "And so you are going to tell me everything you know about the situation and I'm going to help you get out of it."

An hour later, they were at the employee cafe drinking Klug, a dark bluish concoction the texture, consistency, and flavor of latex paint, while Coas debriefed Jack. After finishing with a sigh, the harried man looked at Jack in the eye and asked, "So. What makes you think you can help? And why do you want to? It's not like this situation applies to outsiders."

"I've seen them before. They came to my colony when I was a child. We managed to fight them off but not before they managed to take more than half the population as slaves. I survived them once, I don't fancy them having a go at anyone else," Jack concluded grimly.

"We can't fight them." Coas looked alarmed. "We are a pacifistic society. We don't have the resources or knowledge to mount any sort of violent campaign against them."

"Well, you're going to have to find a way because they aren't going to give up without a fight. It's what they specialize in. If the goods aren't willingly handed them exactly when and how they want, they take it by force. Very few targets have managed to succeed in getting rid of them and all of them had to resort to military action."

"We don't have a military! We've never needed one!" Coas protested wildly. "It goes against everything that our culture represents. It certainly goes against the goals of my office!"

"Well, the way I see it, you have a choice here." Jack didn't raise his voice in the face of Coas' refusal to consider what he considered reason. "Either your culture changes to allow for self-defense or your culture adapts to no longer having males between the ages of 3 and 55 cycles. It's your choice." He handed a slip of paper to Coas. "Call me when you make your choice."

Jack left the building and returned to his hotel. He just hoped that Coas made the right decision.


	42. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Despite the Doctor's insistence that they all ignore the mauve alert, the TARDIS refused to disable the alarm.

"It's giving me a headache," Ianto moaned.

"Respond…don't respond…I don't care…just please turn that noise off!" Nehti begged the Doctor.

"I'm doing my best!" the Doctor said through clenched teeth as he pulled wires in the TARDIS circuitry. With a burst of sparks, he sighed in relief as the siren stopped.

Ianto collapsed on the bench in relief, clutching his head. "That has to be one of the most horrid sounds in the universe."

"Agreed." Nehti groaned as she leaned against on of the support columns.

The Doctor brushed his hands together in satisfaction before replacing the panel. He opened his mouth to speak but didn't have the chance as the three of them were thrown around the room as the TARDIS crashed down to the surface.

Pulling himself off the floor, Ianto felt the blood trickling down his face into his eyes. "What was that?" he asked dazedly.

"She's landed," the Doctor said crossly, picking himself up off the metal floor. "Nehti? Are you all right?"

"Fine." A disembodied voice floated out to them. A moment later, the dark skinned woman's head peeked out through the has in the support column. "She must be quite unhappy with us to toss us around like that."

The Doctor clucked in agreement and rapped the console to convey his displeasure. "Cheeky girl." He spent another moment glaring before turning to his Companions, who were no sitting on the bench mopping up the blood on Ianto's face. "Well, no matter. We're here. Are you able to go take a look?"

"Yes, absolutely." Ianto stood up and held a cloth to his head. "It's just a scratch. Let's go."

Rather than moving out the door, the Doctor stood and gave Ianto a hard look. "I don't think so. First, we need to go to the bed bay and get that looked at. All right now. Get going!"

Ianto looked rather put upon but turned and moved to the medical bay and pulled out the skin regenerator that looked like the one in the archives.

"No, no. Not that." The Doctor plucked it from his fingers and returned it to the shelf. "That's for emergencies when we can't use these." He extended his hand and swirled around what looked like glowing dust particles in the air. "Nanogenes. These will have you fixed up in no time." He smiled reassuringly at Ianto before flicking his wrist and sending the nanogenes towards Ianto. In a matter of second, the cut was completely healed.

Ianto gaped at himself in the mirror. Unlike the skin regenerator, there were no residual markings from the injury. It was like it had never happened. "Those are incredible!"

"Yes, yes. I know." The Doctor waved his hand dismissively. "Now that we are all up to our best health, let's get going.

Stepping out the TARDIS doors, the Doctor looked around in confusion. "This isn't right. This doesn't look anything like where we were headed." The Doctor turned to the TARDIS to double check the coordinates but the doors slammed shut and he couldn't gain access to his ship.

Ianto looked at Nehti. "Has this happened before?"

"Not that I've seen." Nehti furrowed her brow as she watched the Doctor pounded on the door and let out a litany of what she believed to be Gallifreyan.

It took several minutes for the Doctor to give up on the TARDIS giving in, during which Ianto and Nehti wandered over to a tree and sat in the shade. He walked over to join them, sitting heavily on the ground. "She's determined not to let us back on board until we do whatever she brought us here to do."

"And do you know exactly where we are?" Nehti raised her eyebrows.

"Paxtia. The planet that had put out the mauve alert. For whatever reason, the TARDIS believes that being here is of the utmost importance. She doesn't usually act like this though…" The Doctor looked out towards a major city. "Still, best get moving before the sun goes down. Not a great deal of light to guide our way in the dark."

They made their way swiftly through the scrub towards the city as quickly as possible.

"Wish she would have tossed some water out before she locked us out." Ianto wiped the sweat off his brow and squinted towards their destination.

"It's bloody hot, here," the Doctor complained. "As something is burning a hole in my pocket." He frowned and dug his hand in, searching for whatever was causing the problem. After pulling out a few miscellaneous items that were in the way, he triumphantly held up his sonic screwdriver before frowning again.

"It's hot?" Nehti looked confused. In all her time with the Doctor, she had never known the sonic screwdriver to behave in such a way.

The Doctor fiddled with the settings for a moment and let out a delighted laugh. Both Ianto and Nehti looked at him in expectation.

"He's here!" The Doctor's eyes were bright with excitement.

"Who is here?" Ianto was cautiously optimistic.

"Jack! My sonic screwdriver registers his presence here. The TARDIS must have sensed that his signal was analogous to the mauve alert. That is why she was so insistent that we come here!"


	43. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Upon arriving in the city, The Doctor, Ianto and Nehti all realized that ignoring the mauve alert was not going to be a possibility. Their original plan, to grab Jack and run, depended upon them being able to ignore the plight of the native people. Seeing the terror on faces and the emptiness of the streets, Ianto knew that he could not turn his back on them. The Doctor picked up an old newspaper and read the headline.

"It looks like there is another species here, demanding that they surrender a large portion of their population over to them." The Doctor reported to them.

"The 456?" Ianto questioned.

"No, their demands were specific to humans. Paxtians do not have the same physiology that you humans do. This is a different species but it seems to be a similar situation."

"Oh, wonderful," Ianto said wryly. "I can only imagine what this means for Jack's mental state."

The Doctor did not know what to say to that. Instead, he moved forward with a plan of action. "We need to split up and gather information. If I know Jack, I'd say that he'll be in the middle of the action so we need to get there as well. Now, not that I don't trust your judgement Ianto, but you haven't been along on an outing like this before so you need to stick with Nehti. She can help you with the investigating-alien-species thing. Any questions?"

Both Ianto and Nehti shook their heads.

"All right. You two go left and I'll go right. We'll meet in 2 hours at this location to compare findings."

"We'll see you then." With that, Nehti grabbed Ianto's arm and pulled him towards their direction and the Doctor went the other way.

About 45 minutes later, they found themselves in a relatively crowded area, in that there was sign of life. This sector of the city was crawling with what looked like guardsmen. Presumably, it made the populace feel more comfortable to have bulky looking men in uniform overlooking their activities. Ianto just felt like he imagined a fish does—exposed openly to unfriendly eyes. He glanced over at Nehti and saw that she was not allowing the watchful eyes of the guards to shake her composure.

"There!" Nehti interrupted his thoughts. He turned to see her point towards a group of young children, their mothers standing nearby with a close eye on them. "That's exactly who we need to talk to!"

"Children?" Ianto had his doubts. "I don't think children are exactly a knowledgeable font of information." He looked at them critically as they continued to play their game.

"No! Not children! Their mothers." Nehti couldn't hide her exasperation. "If there anyone threatening the population, mothers would be the ones to know the most about it. It's one of the few constants of the universe."

"Hmm." Ianto thought this over and saw the logic in her argument. "They might be more willing to talk to you than me. They'll be more likely to see you as one of them."

"Good thinking. I'll be right back."

Ianto wandered the shopping plaza as Nehti gathered information. He noticed that as soon as they had arrived, people seemed to go elsewhere, seemingly frightened of the outsiders. He watched them scurry past them as he pretended to admire the items for sale. When he saw Nehti walking towards him in his peripheral vision, he quickly set down the blue swirled orb and turned. Her face was grim.

"The population of this planet are inherently pacifistic. They don't have the will or resources to mount any opposition of the other species' demands. Violence is unheard of in their culture. As such, they are afraid because they don't want to submit to the demands but can't figure out how to successfully refuse. They are casting all their hopes on the government to get them out of this mess but we know first hand what a mistake that is." Nehti rubbed her forehead. "Jack must know all of this. What would he do?"

"Go to the seat of government," Ianto answered automatically. "He may not have the same access that he is accustomed to but he would still go there in the hopes of making a difference. I imagine that he would do his best to get inside."

"Makes sense." Nehti nodded. "It fits with what I saw of him back on Earth. Now, it doesn't look like we're going to get anymore information here. What do you say we stop for a drink and then head back to the TARDIS. At least if we can find anyone who would serve us. I get the impression that they don't have many friendly feelings for non-Paxtians."

"I've gotten the same feeling. But it's worth the effort. I'm parched."

The two of them turned to search out a cafe when the ran head first into a trio of guards. Ianto looked up at them in surprise, an apology on his lips, but all attempts of speech died at the imposing looks on their faces. Beside him, he felt Nehti falter. That was not a good sign. It was one thing for him to hesitate, after all, this was all new to him in ways that the Doctor and Nehti had long gone past feeling. But Nehti was an old hat at this and if she was uncertain about the situation, it had to be bad.

"Can we help you gentlemen?" Nehti covered smoothly, trying her best to hide her nervousness and protect Ianto.

"We are here on the behalf of the Paxtian government. We have orders to take this one," the man nodded towards Ianto, "into protective custody."

"On what grounds?" Ianto knew enough to realize that conceding to them would be a terrible move.

"We do not recognize the question." The men didn't even look at Ianto. "He will come with us."

"Not bloody likely!"

Nehti did her best to fight off the guards but her small statute and lack of weaponry made it an uneven struggle and she was quickly knocked out and left behind in an alley. Ianto was also knocked unconscious, in order to accommodate their efforts to take him into custody.

By the time Nehti came around, the four of them were long gone.


	44. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

Coas fetched another cup of klug for the secretary and rejoined the cabinet members in the briefing room. He placed the delicate glass in front of his employer, the secretary of Cultural Purity and took his seat behind the wiry man. When first meeting Secretary Mlao, he was startled by how tall and thin the blue haired man was. For some reason, he had always pictured the elusive cabinet members to look like their cartoon depictions as fat, stout, slovenly men. Of course, some of them did fit those images perfectly, as evidenced by the men and women sitting around the table, each with a younger assistant behind them. He had arrived before the major discussion had started; of course, all the other cabinet members would require their assistants to get them situation as well. However, now that everyone was present and settled in, the decisions about the new threat, a species calling themselves the Grish, and the best way to resolve their demands.

"Now, let us begin," a particularly large man at the head of the table demanded their attention. Coas hadn't seem him very often but all government officials would recognize the Minister of the Cabinet. The ceremonial headdress, comprised of many of the natural flora and fauna of the planet, was the greatest marker of honor a Paxtian could receive. As such, the room immediately went silent and all eyes were locked on the Minster of the Cabinet.

"Secretary of Peace, please give us all a brief summary of the situation with the Grish so that we can all be on the same page before finding a solution."

A nervously sweating man addressed the group. "Well, the Grish have demanded that we turn over all males between three and fifty-five cycles as their permanent property. To do such a thing would vastly deplete our workforce and cripple the populace. If we don't, however, we will face an invasion that would result in the targets being forcefully taken and any opposition to be eliminated." He finished with a quick release of air before sitting back down abruptly.

"Thank you for the concise report of the situation," the Minister of the Cabinet said graciously. "Now, obviously we would like to avoid that situation. Does anyone have additional information for us to consider?"

Secretary Mlao stood. "As Secretary to Cultural Purity, I would like to briefly consider the consequences any course of action would have for our cultural values. To remove such a large percentage of our male population would have disastrous consequences for the long-term viability of our present culture. However, to act with force against an invasion would be equally damaging. I have not found a way to address this threat that would not fundamentally alter our way of life."

"Such a situation is unacceptable, Secretary." A sallow woman addressed him. "Our culture has remained unchanged for generations. There is no need for it to change now."

"Yes." On a theoretical level, Mlao agreed completely. "However, what practical solution do we have to avoid this?"

To this pronouncement, no one had a response. The faces around the table looked grim. Coas remembered his conversation with the outsider, that their culture would not survive the Grish. It seemed like his leaders had reached the same conclusion.

"Now, obviously we have to look at the implications this will have for the government." The Minister of the Cabinet directed everyone's attention back to him. "Now, most of the highest positions are held by men over the age of 55 cycles. However, there are 304 positions that would be at risk. Either we would have to train women with the highest efficiency to avoid a breakdown of order or renegotiate the terms with the Grish to exempt government officials. Either way, we have no choice but to surrender to them."

"A point of information, sir," the Secretary of Peace cut in. "I have just received a transmission from the Grish agreeing to exempt government officials."

"Ah. Very good. Shall we vote?"

The Secretary of Governmental Order put the motion to a vote. Coas looked around in amazement as the government voted to submit to the atrocious demands of the Grish. These people were willing to sell him out to save their own skins. He felt a surge of emotion in him that was completely foreign. He wondered if it was this feeling that spurred others to violence. Was a culture worth preserving if it was willing to serve up its people for sacrifice?

As the occupants of the room went their separate ways, he made his decision. He would go to Mr. Jack Harkness as soon as Secretary Mlao released him from his duties today.


	45. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

The Doctor watched the backs of his two Companions as they walked away, strangely reluctant to let them out of his sight. As they became smaller from the distance, he finally tore his gaze away and turned in his own designated direction. He whistled as he made his way forward to the other major city on the planet. He could not express how relieved he was that they had finally found Jack. I had done his best to keep a brave face for the other two but he had feared that he would be looking for Jack long after both of them had died and turned to dust. Now that they were on a contemporaneous location, it would be much quicker to find him. Having Ianto here, the man with the best instincts about Jack's habits, would only speed up the process.

After arriving in the city, he found that the citizens of the planet were quite fearful and only ventured outdoors in heavily guarded areas. The Doctor snorted with amusement. It wasn't like these men had any experience with which to protect them. He supposed that it just went to show that people in fear tended to be ruled by their instincts and not their logic. Such nonsense was likely why everyone was going so far out of their way to avoid him. Well, that wouldn't do. He couldn't ask questions if people weren't willing to talk to him. He needed a quick and easy way to gain their trust long enough to ask the right questions. He smiled and reached into his pocket before rapidly crossing the street to approach a young man. Whipping out his psychic paper, he thrust it in the man's face.

"Hello there! I'm Doctor Smith, a researcher here at the behest of the government to investigate popular opinion. I'm actually currently looking for a particular outsider. Have you seen a man that looks to be about the same species as me, with dark hair like mine and blue eyes?"

The man looked at him fearfully but nodded his head in assent. His eyes flicked from the psychic paper, which demonstrated the correct credentials for cooperation, to the Doctor's face. The Doctor smiled at him reassuringly. After a moment of indecision, the man pointed left and then hurried away. The Doctor sighed and pocketed the psychic paper. He had hoped for better results but he at least had a direction, which was more than he had started with.

After an hour of similar encounters, with the Doctor flashing his psychic paper in an attempt to get others to talk but usually only getting a vague gesture towards a certain direction, he was out of patience. Yes, he was an outsider and people were scared of outsiders, but he was only asking for help in locating one man. It should not be this difficult!

Turning around another corner that looked identical to the past thirteen corners, he fell against the wall in relief.

There was Jack, sitting in a cafe with a rather harried looking man who was gesticulating frantically. Nearly both his hearts shuddered to a stop with a surfeit of emotion. He could only imagine how much of a shock his presence would be for Jack. After all, the Doctor expected to find him here. It was only a matter of getting Jack and getting back to the TARDIS in time to surprise Nehti and Ianto.


	46. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Ianto opened his eyes slowly, the light blinding him. As he became acclimated to the brightness, he noticed that he was tied to a chair, surrounded by six men, one of whom was wearing an elaborate headdress. Ianto didn't understand what had happened or why he was here.

"Who are you?" he asked them blearily.

"That is none of your concern," replied the man in the headdress. "You are here because we have questions for you."

Ianto said nothing to this pronouncement and waited for him to continue.

"You arrived on this planet after we had shut down all the spaceports. How did you get here?"

"You must be mistaken." Ianto hoped they would believe his lies. "I did not arrive here in any special way. Why do you think I did?"

"We keep track of all visitors as they arrive. We have no record of you. Are you an agent of the Grish?"

"No, of course not!" Ianto swallowed heavily. He wasn't sure how to get himself out of this new mess.

"How did you get here?" Another man, portly and middle aged, pressed Ianto for more information.

"A ship. I don't know the details. I was just a passenger." Ianto spat out.

"A ship. One that you claim is not connected with the Grish but they either allowed or were unable to detect. Did you know that the Grish was keeping close watch and prevented travel on and off the planet?"

"No." Ianto answered truthfully. "I didn't even know that there was anyone else here."

"So, either it suited them to have you here or they are unaware of your arrival. That is interesting." The man paused and looked at the one in the headdress. "I'm inclined to thinking that you slipped through. How many other passengers were there?"

"Just the one I was with when you grabbed me." Ianto didn't think that it was too harmful to let that information through, seeing as they had found him with Nehti and it would not be too much of a stretch to think that they knew she was an outsider as well. Which of course begged the question, why did they take him?

"Where is this ship" The man in the headdress seemed very interested in this information and Ianto believed that it would serve no purpose to lie. The Doctor had told him that no one could enter the TARDIS without a key, and only he and Nehti had one.

"It's parked in a field about an hour's walk away from the city you caught me in."

"Take us there."

Ianto found it only too predictable that these people would be interested in leaving a planet before all hell broke loose. Furthermore, he assumed that they would have to be in a position of power to have access to visitor records and control of the guards that kidnapped him. Either they were afraid to be taken by the Grish or afraid of the fallout from their visit But he couldn't help them.

"I can't. It's locked and I don't have the key."

This seemed to be the wrong thing to say. At a brief look, a third man, tall and spindly, came forward, knelt down, and looked him in the eye. The utter lack of emotion in his gaze gave Ianto a tremor of fear.

"We know that you know more than you are admitting to," the man said in a quiet voice. "You have only one opportunity to come clean with us before we will be forced to utilize more severe," his voice stressed the word, "methods of persuasion."

Ianto closed his eyes in despair. Of course they would. Despite all their protestation of peace and pacifism, no one society was above torture to achieve their means. Unfortunately, he was telling the truth. Amazing at how planets so far in the future and alien to him could also be so completely human.

"I'm telling the truth. I can't access the ship. I can't get you on board."

Rather than disappointment, the thin man seemed to expect this answer. "Very well then." With a brief nod towards a fourth man, a large syringe was brought and and handed to the third. "You had your chance to speak freely. Now you will suffer the consequences."

Ianto stared at the needle in panic. He had no idea what they were going to do to him, if it would be compatible with his physiology, if he would survive this. Should he have agreed? Bought himself more time? As the needle pierced his skin, he lost all ability to reason in his fear. The liquid in his veins was surprisingly painless. The thin man seemed to understand his thoughts because he answered them.

"It can be as painful as we want it to be. But I know that deep down you want to cooperate. Otherwise, this will have to get even uglier."

Ianto felt a chill run down his back. The injection wasn't painful because pain wasn't their goal. Something was going to happen to him and he still didn't know what. He had hoped it was some sort of fantastical truth serum. One that would allow them to believe him but judging by the man's threats, this seemed unlikely.

Ianto started. In the corner of his eye he swore he saw...no. It couldn't have been. She's dead. He stared resolutely forward, refusing to give in to the urge to look over and confirm his thoughts. But it wasn't necessary. She walked into his vision.

"Hello Ianto."

"No. You aren't real. You're dead." Having dead people come talk to you was not the ideal model of sanity, even he knew that.

"Of course I am." Her face suddenly changed, became bloody and pale with death. "After all, you saw me die. You would know." The unspoken implications of her words brought tears to his eyes. He was sleeping with the man that killed her. Before he had a chance to respond, he saw another face from his past. His father. The man that beat him, threatened him, made him feel like he was never ever going to be enough. That he was a failure just by the virtue of his existence.

His captors watched on as every psychological torture they could contrive appeared before Ianto as well as the ones brought forth from his own mind. Yet no matter how many hours they spent, what questions the posed, he would not give up the secrets of how to enter his ship.

Ianto's body ached from the physical and emotional exhaustion that pounded away at his sanity.

"This isn't working." The Minister of the Cabinet hissed at the Secretary of Cultural Purity. "We're running out of time!"

"Perhaps he was telling the truth." The Secretary of the Exchequer looked disappointed. "In which case, we can't get anything more out of him."

"He still knows the identity and locations of the ones who can help us but he isn't willing to divulge them!" The Minister of the Cabinet snapped.

"What if we sent him to a prison colony? I'm sure the Grish would not become too offended by a prison transport with an outsider?" the Secretary of Peace suggested. "Maybe after a few hours there, he will be more willing to talk. If not, then at least he will be properly punished."

"Which colony do you suggest?" the Secretary of the Exchequer asked curiously.

"Xeree IX."

The men looked at him and then back at each other. Their matching grins of delight sealed the deal.


	47. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

The Doctor strode over to the cafe, ignoring all the people who scurried out of his path.

"Hello gentlemen," he greeted them with a wide smile.

"Hello." The strange man answered him warily before casting a glance at an equally perplexed Jack.

"I'm sorry, do we know you?" Jack inquired politely.

"Well, I would say so!" The Doctor realized suddenly that Jack hadn't seen this incarnation of himself. "I'm the Doctor. Pleased to meet you," he hazarded to the strange man.

Jack's face lit up. "I didn't recognize you!" He gave the man a broad grin before embracing him. "Coas, this is a friend of mine. He's just the person to help."

Coas still looked unsure. "I'm risking quite a bit just by cooperating with you. How do I know that I'm not making a mistake."

The Doctor looked interested at this statement. "And what type of cooperation are we talking about here?"

Jack spoke first. "Coas works as an under-secretary for the government. He's been keeping me informed about what is going on and it seems that they are about to give up to the Grish's demands."

The Doctor looked alarmed at this. "They can't! Why would they even think about it?"

"Violence is never the answer," Coas answered by rote like a schoolboy.

The Doctor gave him a level look. "Quite right," he agreed, surprising Jack. "Of course, I'm not a fan of death and destruction either. So the moral question then becomes, when are the consequences of violence preferable to the consequences of inaction?"

"Which is precisely the dilemma Coas here has been struggling with," Jack finished, quaffing down the remainder of the klug and waving over a server to take the mug away.

The Doctor remained quiet for a moment before brightening. "Well, obviously, even if Coas here doesn't want to act, we need to do something. I take it that you are shockingly low on resources?"

Jack nodded.

"Well then, let's go to the TARDIS!"

Coas looked at the two of them. "TARDIS?"

"It's my ship. And has just what we need to create a plan." The Doctor nodded decisively. "And my Companions should be back shortly." Jack missed the sly look that the Doctor threw at him. "Shall we go?"

Jack gathered his things and stood to leave. Coas hesitated but eventually stood up and made to follow. "Let's do this."

Entering the TARDIS, Coas looked around in amazement. "It's huge!"

The Doctor looked at him with a self-satisfied smile. "Yes. Bigger on the inside and all that."

Jack moved immediately towards the center console. "Hey girl. It's been a long time, hasn't it?" Her lights dimmed in agreement before resuming their usual brightness.

As Jack got to work on the console, scanning for the Grish and looking at their technologies, trying to find whatever weakness he could exploit to get rid of them and save the Paxtians from ever suffering due to them, the Doctor led Coas to the bench and told him to take a seat.

"I'll be right back. Just wait here for me. I think we have a lot to talk about." This made Coas uneasy but he fitured that it was too late to voice objections now that he was in the man's ship. A few minutes later, the Doctor returned with a tray filled with tea and biscuits.

"Now, I know you haven't had this before, but I promise, it's the best drink in the universe." The Doctor urged him to take a mug and a biscuit before talking again. "My people were very similar to yours. We abhorred violence, preferring to live peacefully. My ship doesn't even have any offensive weapons. I travel space surviving mainly on my wits and cleverness against the guns and bombs of others. So I understand completely your aversion to fighting, to a certain extent I share it. But there are times when I've had to fight to defend myself and those that I care about. Facing invasions and violence with pacifism will only result in slaughter. The trick is knowing when you have no other options." He gave Coas a long, serious look. "Use diplomacy and tact to solve your problems whenever possible, but don't allow yourself and your loved ones to be killed out of fear of conflict. That is just as much of a moral evil as needless slaughter."

Coas studied his mug for a long moment. "But how do you live with yourself?"

"You take solace in the knowledge that you prevented an even larger tragedy," the Doctor said in a quiet, steady voice. "It's all you can do. But you must do it."

Coas continued staring at his tea. Taking a sip, he grimaced. "I think I prefer klug."

"That's okay. But sometimes a good cup of tea is just what you need."

Coas looked like he was going to say something else but was interrupted by Jack's cry of triumph.

"I did it! I found a solution! We can get rid of them with zero bloodshed!" Jack's eyes were filled with tears. No child would ever have to suffer what he and his brother had. What Ianto's family had. What his daughter and grandson had. He could spare this tiny, backwater planet several lifetimes of pain and suffering. He gave a watery smile to the Doctor and Coas.

"I did it."


	48. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

"You did?" Coas looked slightly shocked and pale. Jack frowned. He thought that the harried man would be a little more excited about this. Okay, to be honest, a lot more excited. The Doctor, on the other hand, looked very pleased.

"What did you find?" The Doctor got up and walked over to the center console to join Jack.

"Well, I couldn't find them on the scanners and I know how sensitive the TARDIS scanning equipment is. So the question became, where are they and why aren't they here? I'm guessing that they are powerful enough that they can be here very quickly when they need to, either to pick up their new slaves or invade and take them by force. But then, if they are so far, how do they know how many people there are that fit their requirements? They don't have a visual lock through which to count them and there has been no outside infiltration into the computer systems to use government records. So my next though was, what similarities are there between the people from my colony and Paxtia and how do these match up with other victims for the Grish? And it was right there in front of me." Jack took a momentary break to grab Coas' abandoned mug of tea and finished it off. "Pheromones."

Coas looked confused. "Pardon?"

"The Grish have equipment to sense pheromones that are produced by individuals between the ages of ___ and 65 cycles. It's a physiological similarity between all their victims. Theoretically, such sensory devices are possible, if not common."

"Quite right. The Doctor looked over Jack's data. "Your information is sound."

"So now what?" Coas asked. "We can't change the pheromones of every male between ____ and 65 cycles on the planet in the next couple hours, even if we did have the support of the government."

"He's right." The Doctor frowned.

"Yes. But they are going to have to bring their fleet here to take those people. And even if Paxtia had the will, they don't have the capability to fight back. So an invasion would be a disaster. But what if we could adjust their sensors to prevent them finding any people in their set parameters?"

"That might work." The Doctor stared into space contemplatively. "Do you think you can do that?"

"If we relay the primary nextius from the TARDIS and transmit it on the correct frequency, I can disable their sensors."

"But that's only a temporary solution!" Coas broke in. "They'll still come back!"

"Unless we can send up a virus as well that would do the same to all the sensors in their possession. They don't have any other marker to determine their prey. Without those sensor, they'll be blind." The Doctor gained momentum. "They'll likely never stop to check their sensors. They'll be more likely to think that their target planets no longer have individuals conforming to their standards. It's brilliant!"

"And completely non-violent." Jack looked Coas in the eyes. "But even after they are gone, this planet is going to still have to make some changes."

Coas nodded decisively. "I agree. But first we need to solve our immediate problem."

"I estimate from what you've told me that the Grish will be here in 2 hours. That give me just enough time to prep the TARDIS to send the signal."

"And I can write that virus," the Doctor finished.

"What shall I do?" Coas looked between them.

"I'll need an extra set of hands over here, if you don't mind." Jack smiled.

In those two hours, as the three men worked to prevent the Grish from finding a single victim to take on the planet, the government began mobilizing. Forcibly taking all males of the appropriate ages from their homes and detaining them in all empty warehouses and abandoned buildings, waiting for the Grish to come claim them. Outraged and terrified, the entire population of Paxtia struggled to survive but their fearful pleading was not enough to stem the inevitable. By the time the Grish entered the system, chaos reigned. People were banging on doors, begging and crying. Needing to know why their loved ones were being torn from them. At the same time, those locked away prayed for a miracle.

"Now!" Jack shouted over to the Doctor and Coas. Simultaneously, they pulled, twisted, and dialed the controls on the console, sending up a beam that disabled the Grish's sensors. With baited breath, they watched as the Grish hovered above the planet.

"Did it work?" Coas' hands were shaking.

"I don't see why it wouldn't have," the Doctor responded.

"Just wait a moment," Jack ordered.

As they watched, the Grish slowly turned around and left. All three men released the breaths they were holding.


	49. Chapter 48

Chapter 48

Ianto woke up slowly. His entire body ached but the assault of memories from his hours tied to that chair, facing some of the worst memories he could conceive of caused him to jump up and look around the room frantically. After he was certain that there was no one else in the room with him, he took a deep breath full of relief and sat back down on the camp bed. His composure lasted for a few minutes as he processed the events of the last day, or at least what he hoped was a day ago. He had no idea how much time had passed since he had been captured. He never thought that his old life was safer, although his narrowly averted death made that debatable. Of course, that was not to say that he would not prefer to be home. Waking up under the new duvet he bought last month curled up next to Jack, making a quick breakfast before putting on his favorite suit to go to the Hub and feed Myfanwy and Janet. Instead, he was here in some prison cell in the middle of space, thousands of years in his future.

He looked around his cell. It was rather plain and did not exactly conform to what one would consider a normal cell, different from those in the Hub with their plexiglass walls. It was very brightly lit, painted a startlingly bright white, and had only a camp bed and toilet. He couldn't discern any type of entrance of exit into the room. He wondered briefly how they had gotten him in there and if he was going to be left to die.

Somehow he doubted it. He remembered them asking him about the Doctor and how he instinctively knew that he could not afford to answer those questions although he didn't know why. Whenever the subject had arisen, he had felt a warm, golden presence in his head, warning him off. It had felt benign, almost loving, and so Ianto trusted it despite his training from Torchwood. If Ivonne Hartman, hell, if Jack Harkness, ever knew that one of their employees had chosen to blindly follow an alien influence in his mind, he would have been sacked. But how could he explain it to others? It wasn't foreign or threatening. It would protect him.

He stood again and paced around the room. He knew he had to escape. As he puzzled out his options, he felt his limbs get heavier until he could no longer move. Panicked, he tried to blink, to swallow, to twitch. Nothing. His fear doubled as he saw a syringe emerge from the wall, advance toward him, and pierce his skin. The liquid burned as it coursed through his veins, with a frightening familiarity. As he regain control over his body, he collapsed on the camp bed and placed the thin pillow over his head, in an attempt to block out the tormenting visions.

He felt the sting of a strap on his back and heard his father's voice. He trembled in fear and self-loathing. Intellectually, he knew that his father was dead and that he had long ago moved past his history but it was too real to discount.

He heard his mother's cries as his father's attentions turned away from him.

Thirty eight meals later, Ianto saw his opportunity for escape. Every time his meals were brought to him, a guard came through a door that appeared opposite the toilet. The guard would walk six steps into the room, set the tray on the floor, turned around and left. It was surprisingly incautious but Ianto wasn't one to complain. It had been several hours since he had last eaten, as far as he was sure considering the long stretches he spent under the influence of the drug, and he believed the next meal would arrive soon.

He stood next to where he believed the door would open and waited. As a guard stepped through with the tray, he used a component he took out of the toilet tank and brained the guard several times until he was certain he would not arise. Ianto crept out the door and entered a seamless metallic hallway. Looking around, he didn't see anyone around and took a few steps out. When nothing happened, he continued. After traveling a meter he realized that there was something wrong, there were no intersecting hallways on this one. Without seeing any other choice, he continued forward. Several minutes of travel later, he found another doorway. Sighing with relief, he entered it. Once inside, the door closed and locked behind him. He turned startled and realized that he had entered another cell, one rather dingier than the one he had left. He felt the wall in which the door was hidden and couldn't feel where it had been. He rested his head against the wall and sighed.


	50. Chapter 49

Chapter 49

"Right then!" The Doctor exclaimed looking at Coas and Jack. "Now that we've gotten that taken care of, we can drop you off at home, Coas, and then we can go back to Earth."

"No." Jack's voice was flat. "I'm not going back there. I'd appreciate a ride off Paxtia but that's it."

"Don't be ridiculous, Jack. They need you there." The Doctor's being exuded exasperation. "Besides, what could you possibly be doing out here that is important?"

"That's the thing, Doctor." Jack's face was impassive. "I don't want to be doing anything important. I like not haing that kind of responsibility. And besides, Earth doesn't need me. There is nothing there for me to go back to."

Coas sensed that this conversation had little to do with him and decided to make himself scarce. "I'll go make more of that beverage you like." Neither man noticed him as Coas hurried off to the kitchen.

"Jack, you don't understand. Torchwood doesn't rebuild without you and Earth needs Torchwood. The universe needs Earth. Things have gone all wrong in your absence."

"I don't care. I lost everything I cared about. Even if I wanted to help, that planet is like a cemetary and I'll lose my mind if I have to go back." Jack's eyes turned pleading. "Please, just let me go."

"I can't do that Jack. And you're wrong. Not everything was lost. Ianto Jones survived." In retrospect, the Doctor realized that a bit more tact would have been useful in revealing this information. As it was, Jack's calm evaporated.

"Don't. Don't do that. You may not be the kindest man but I've not known you to be needlessly cruel." Jack's eyes were icy cold.

"I'm telling the truth. We saved him."

"Is it that important to you? That I go back to Earth? That you'll haunt me with one of my greatest regrets, one of the things I've tried my hardest to forget and put behind me?"

"You'll never succeed and you know that." The Doctor's voice remained calm and level. "You love him. You need him. No matter how far or fast you run, that will never change."

"You think I haven't figured that out?" Jack's voice cracked. "It eats at me everyday. But it's easier to live with it here. I won't go back. And I will never forgive you for using him against me."

"I'm telling you the truth Jack. I promise."

"Why him? If you were going to claim to save anyone that I killed, why not Steven? Why Ianto?"

"Because Steven was meant to die." Jack flinched at this. "There was no other way to handle that situation. But Ianto wasn't meant to die. Ianto needed to survive. And so he did."

Jack's eyes were filled with tears and utter disbelief. "I saw him die. I can't believe you would stoop this low just to get your way. I'm leaving. Don't bother following me."

Jack turned to exit the TARDIS. He opened the doors and found a dark skinned girl on the other side, her key in the lock. "Lois Habiba?"

"Long story. It's actually Nehti. Hari Nehti. If you wouldn't mind?" She gestured for him to move out of the way so that she could enter the ship. Once she was inside, she looked between him and the Doctor. "Well, what have I missed? It's utter chaos out there, people are rioting on the streets. If you could call something that peaceful a riot, that is."

"I was just leaving." Jack refused to look at either of them.

"Where's Ianto?" The Doctor looked wary.

"He was kidnapped by some guards. I was knocked unconscious so I don't know what happened to him. It was strange."

"Wait, you're in on this, too?" Jack looked incredulous.

"What do you mean?" Nehti glanced at him in confusion.

"He's trying to convince me to return to Earth by telling me that Ianto didn't die." Jack's mouth twisted bitterly.

"It's true. He's been traveling with us for months looking for you. We were looking together in the other city for you when he was abducted by the guards that were keeping a perimeter on the city. I got here as soon as I could." Nehti looked nervously at the Doctor. "I'm sorry. I tried to stop them but we were outnumbered."

"It's okay," the Doctor soothed, keeping an eye on Jack, who looked like he was about to collapse from shock.

"You're telling the truth? He's really alive? And here?"

"Yes, Jack." The Doctor locked a steady gaze on his pallid face. "We saved him. We meant to return him to you but you left before we were able. And as soon as we find out what happened to him, he'll be here again.


	51. Chapter 50

Chapter 50

Lisa stood over him, covered in blood, eyes filled with madness. "Why didn't you help me Ianto? All you had to do what save me and you let me die. Was it a relief? No longer having to care for me? No longer having your burden of a girlfriend tied to your back?"

"No! It was never like that. I loved you." Ianto pleaded with her.

"Right. Loved. I'm just a distant memory to you. Not worth a moment of your time," she scoffed at him.

"You're wrong." Ianto felt the wracking sobs fighting to break free. "You're so wrong."

Ianto woke up uneasily from his brief nap. Even when the drug was not actively working its way through his system, it haunted his nightmares, giving no respite from the horrors it brought to mind. The rusted camp bed creaked and groaned as he sat up. He looked around the dingy cell warily. He now was reduced to living in fear of a syringe. He knew that it wasn't real, the effects of the drug, but it was harder and harder to hold on to that knowledge. He felt like he was going mad in this cell. He had to escape. He didn't know what he would do once he exited the facility, it wasn't like he knew where he was or had anywhere to go. He only knew that he couldn't stand it much longer waiting for and dreading the drug. Seeing all the things he wished he could forget, hearing all the self-recriminations he held close to him spoke by those who could hurt him the most. He needed to get out of there.

He stared meditatively at a patch of what he thought must be alien mold, wondering where his last attempt went wrong. There had to be a way out of the building; it wasn't like the guards would only traverse from his old cell to his new cell. Perhaps he had missed some subtle marker for a corridor when he first tried. No matter how much he thought it over, he realized that he would never know unless he tried again. He saw the needle out of the corner of his eye. He had given up trying to escape it. As he felt it enter his veins, he resolved to mount another escape attempt at the next opportunity.

Ianto had noticed that the new guard did not change the protocol for bringing in his meal trays. He couldn't decide if there were incompetant or arrogant. Either way, he decided that repeating his initial attempt would not be a good move. Rather than knocking the guard unconscious, he decided to overcome him, tie him up with the sheets, and then make a break for it.

Eight meals later, he had his chance.

Making sure that the guard was secured tightly, he crept into the hallway. He realized abruptly that this hallway was not the same that he entered through. This door was located on a different wall. He struggled to remember if they used the same wall every time they entered his cell but his mind was still foggy from the drug.

Examining the walls carefully as he proceeded, he noted that they were absolutely seamless, like one long expanse of uncut metal. He wiped sweat out of his eyes. The hall seemed to be on a slight incline, another feature he didn't recognize. It was quite a bit longer as well. As he kept walked, not finding any sort of abnomality on the corridor, he began sweating heavily, soaking through his clothing. As he thought he might pass out from the sweltering heat, he saw a corner. Smiling he turned it before recognizing his mistake. It wasn't a corner. It was another cell. He fell to the floor in exhaustion and despair as he felt the door behind him seal. This cell was significantly smaller and equally as warm as the corridor he had just been in.

He lay on the floor and stared at the ceiling. There was no bed, a hole for a toilet. The cell was only just large enough for him to lay flat on the floor. He felt, rather than saw the needle come from the wall and closed his eyes against the tears. He was so tired. Tired of the endless visions, the torture, the emotional pain. He just wanted to go home. Go to Jack. But he was never going to get out of here alive. Escape was a useless endeavor. He had no choice but to wait and hope that someone would be able to rescue him from this hell.


	52. Chapter 51

Chapter 51

Coas walked into the console room with a tray similar to the one that the Doctor had offered him only a few hours earlier.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" he asked the woman standing near the entrance.

She seemed equally discomfited. "I'm Hari Nehti. Who are you?"

The Doctor interrupted this exchange. "Coase Okobs, this is my Companion, Hari Nehti. Nehti, this is Coas, he helped us get rid of the Grish."

"Oh! Hello then!" She gave him a warm smile.

Throughout this exchange, Jack remained deep in thought. After a few moments of silence, with everyone looking at him expectantly for reasons he was unaware of, he looked over and noticed Coas' reappearance.

"Coas, what would you know about the disappearance of an off worlder?"

"I'm sorry?" He blinked at Jack.

"Ianto Jones was...traveling...with the Doctor and Nehti here. Nehti says that he was abducted by some of the men guarding the city centers a couple hours ago. Do you know if they are part of or connected to the government?"

Coas set down the tray and throught through the events of the last few days. "I know that the guards were commissioned by the government, the Minster of the Cabinet specifically. They were meant to give a sense of security to the populace and prevent unnecessary panic." His face soured at this thought. "It's quite conceivable that they took orders from the government to abduct someone."

The three other occupants of the TARDIS looked troubled by this development. "We interfered in their plans and created anarchy on their planet. The government were shown to be complicit with the aliens by taking people from their homes. They aren't likely to be cooperative with us, if they are still around." The Doctor was grim.

Nehti looked at Coas. "You were part of the government?"

"Yes. I was the undersecretary to the Secretary of Cultural Purity. I imagine that I'm out of a job now," he finished glumly.

"I imagine on a planet like this, the Secretary of Cultural Purity is a pretty powerful person," she continued thoughtfully.

"Yes."

"So, if there were orders to abduct an off worlder, he was likely involved. So would the Minister of the Cabinet, since the guards were hired by him."

"That sounds reasonable." Coas looked at her cautiously.

"Do you remember hearing about a man with blue eyes and dark hair that looked to be the same species as us? They might have been questioning him?"

Coas frowned. "I remember hearing about a request to have a shuttle go off world, which was unusual because the Grish demanded that no ships enter or exit our atmosphere."

"What kind of shuttle?" the Doctor asked urgently, his intense eyes boring down into Coas' mind.

"I think it was a prison transport. I don't know where it was going but I can get you a list of prison colonies in the vicinity that they were likely to use."

"That would be brilliant!" The Doctor treated him to a wide grin. Jack looked slightly less enthusiastic. He was afraid to get his hopes up. He couldn't survive losing Ianto again, especially so soon after learning that he was back.

The Doctor had a speculative gleam in his eye. "I don't think it would be wise for you to go out to the capitol building right now, with all the trouble going on. I can rig up the TARDIS to get us access to the government network. Do you think you could get us what we need to find our friend?"

Coas nodded decisively. "Absolutely. I have high level security clearance."

"And whatever you can't access, we can hack." The Doctor winked. "Let's get to work.

Several minutes later, Coas was deep into the system, searching for the destination of the latest prison transport. "It's not here. It looks like they tried to go through and wipe the system to prevent anyone from finding out how involved they were with the Grish."

"Can you recover it?" Nehti looked over his shoulder.

The Doctor answered for him. "No. It's gone."

"I can give you a list of the names and locations of all the prison colonies currently in use," Coas offered.

"That will have to do. Thank you, Coas."

With a few keystrokes, the coordinates were logged into the TARDIS. She dimmed her lights to signify her eagerness to go on.

"Just a moment girl," the Doctor soothed. "Well, it looks like our work here is done, Coas Okobs. You have a planet to fix."

"Me?" He looked incredulous. "I couldn't."

"You must. The government has collapsed from their deceit. Someone needs to rebuild. I trust you to rebuild it with the right values. You did work for the office of Cultural Purity and you saved the planet. What better qualifications are there?"

Coas met the Doctor's gaze before nodding. "I promise, I'll do my best."

Shaking the Doctor's hand, Coas straightened his shoulders and made his way back home. He had a lot of work to do.

Behind him, the TARDIS slowly disappeared.


	53. Chapter 52

Chapter 52

Jack collapsed on the bed. He forgot how tiring it was to travel with the Doctor, even if they hadn't had any major incidents. It had been centuries since he had had so much adrenaline pumping as he did when they were fighting the Grish. The emotional catharsis of crippling the enemy that had made such a mess of his childhood was also rather tiring. And now they were planet hopping, trying desperately to figure out what had happened to Ianto.

Ianto.

Jack still found it difficult to believe that Ianto was alive. Despite the passage of time and distance, the nightmare of holding Ianto's cold body as he waited for the coroner to collect it was permanently etched in his mind. He realized that Ianto had been dead for millennia as far as he was concerned. And yet, the Doctor and Nehti claimed that he was still alive. He still wasn't sure he trusted the Doctor, but he did believe in Nehti's honesty. The dynamic between her and the Doctor suggested that the Doctor wasn't quite sure what to make of her.

Of course, if they couldn't find him, all this speculation and pain was a waste of time and energy. He wasn't sure what he was more afraid of, discovering that he left Earth while Ianto was still there or finding that his opportunity to have a new start with Ianto was long gone. He turned over and plumped up the pillow again before setting against the headboard. He knew the moment that he saw the Doctor on Paxtia that simplicity had gone out the window. Now he just had to live with the consequences of choosing to follow him.

He drifted off for a few minutes, dreaming of a soft, comforting warmth in the bed with him, but Nehti peeked in and woke him up.

"I'm sorry to wake you." Nehti blushed in embarrassment. She felt terrible interrupting his rest but knew that it was necessary. "We think we've found Ianto. We are heading straight for the colony. Xeree IX."

Jack shot up out of bed. "What's our ETA?"

Nehti looked at him blankly.

"Our estimated time of arrival," Jack clarified.

"Oh! We should be there in just under an hour."

"Thanks, Nehti." His smile was tempered by the emotional turmoil he was feeling. After she closed the door again, he decided he needed a hot shower to get some of the tension out of his muscles. Perhaps that would give him the clarity he needed.

Scrubbing his hand through his damp hair, Jack joined an oddly dressed Nehti and the Doctor in the console room nearly an hour later.

"What's the story?" he greeted them.

"We're hovering just outside of sensor range," the Doctor replied. "I can sense him on the planet, the same way we were able to sense you, although I'm not sure why the energy residue hasn't faded." The Doctor frowned at this, lost in his own thoughts.

"Do we have a plan?"

"We have reports that a guard was injured and they requested a temporary replacement," Nehti spoke up. "Of course, considering the mess on Paxtia, it's unlikely that anyone will get that request in the next few weeks or even months." At this she smiled but Jack still hadn't cottoned on to the plan. Seeing this, she continued and gestured towards her painted face. "I think with a little make up, I could pass as a Paxtian and pose as a replacement guard. The Doctor can transport me down to the planet and they'll never know any better."

Jack frowned. "It could be dangerous. I should go instead."

"No." Nehti was resolute. "Ianto would have an extreme reaction to seeing you and it would tip off the other guards. He knows that I'm with the Doctor and he would act accordingly. It's better this way."

"She right." The Doctor cut off any objections Jack would make. It was his ship and his Companion which made it his rescue mission.

Jack bristled but knew better than to argue. He watched as Nehti was sent down to the planet, relieved that at least the Doctor had some concern for her.

"Report back as soon as you know anything concerning Ianto. Mental health, physical well being, anything. And if anything goes wrong, let us know immediately, I can lock onto the DNA sample that you've given me and get you out of there in a heartbeat. Don't hesitate."

"Got it." She smiled at them both. "We'll get him back."

Then she was gone and Jack was left with the Doctor to wait for their next move.


	54. Chapter 53

Chapter 53

The hours and minutes that they spent waiting were filled with a tense silence. The Doctor couldn't help but feel guilty for his part in the trouble they had found. The Grish would have been wiped out centuries earlier if he hadn't insisted that they wait a few months before reuniting Jack and Ianto. A great deal of trouble would have been avoided if he had just responded to that mauve alert from Earth in the first place. And he had been about to make that mistake again, convinced that he knew better than the rest of the universe. How many lives had been ruined by his arrogance? It was a bitter pill to swallow and in his self-recrimination, felt sure that Jack felt the same towards him as he felt towards himself.

Jack, on the other hand, was too consumed with his own guilt to recognize any of the responsibility that the Doctor was feeling. After spending so many years trying to avoid thinking about the events surrounding Ianto's death, he could no longer avoid them now that he was faced with the prospect of seeing him again. He still cringed at the hubris he had demonstrated marching in to confront the 456 without a decent plan. He wondered that, now that Ianto had time to think about it, Ianto blamed him as much as he blamed himself. And then, he had left Earth. Ianto had been there waiting for him and he had abandoned him. He had promised that he would never leave Earth without him again and he had. What's more, he had left Ianto to chase after him. The guilt and shame burned in his heart. He ached to see Ianto again, to feel his warmth and the smell of his skin but he wasn't sure that he deserved that privilege anymore, especially after his subsequent actions. He wondered if Ianto knew about Alice and Steven. He couldn't. He would never want to be near a monster like him if he knew. He had thought badly enough of Jack's involvement with the 456 in 1965. God only knew how he would react to Jack's murder of his own grandson. He needed Ianto but he was too afraid of Ianto's rejection to give into the desire. He wasn't sure if he wanted to wait for Nehti to bring him back or get out while he still could.

Several hours later, Nehti's incoming communication interrupted their brooding.

"I've found him," she announced triumphantly, a smile brightening her face.

The Doctor leaned in closer to the screen and put a hand on each side. "How is here? Have they harmed him?"

"Not physically." She looked slightly troubled. "They have been injecting him with some sort of hallucinogenic drug that causes him to relieve traumatic experiences. It's a fairly common form of mental torture here but I don't know how long or how much he's been subjected to."

Jack sat down heavily. "Even a little would be far too much considering all that he's seen and done."

"I agree." The Doctor fixed a solemn gaze on the view screen. "What is the situation down there?"

"It's not going to be easy to get him out. They operate on a skeleton crew here, only enough to deliver meals to the prisoners."

"That doesn't seem very smart." Jack thought back to all of his experiences in being imprisoned. "Ianto surely would have figured a way out of there by now if they have so few guards."

"The prison is designed to prevent that," Nehti said evenly. "Ianto has evidently tried twice already and failed. All guards are given a communicator that hooks up to the central office. The building is designed so that those without a communicator can only travel through a corridor that connects directly to another cell. The communicators are programmed to DNA so that even if a prisoner figures it out, it still won't work. Each attempted escape results in being led to a progressively worse cell." At this, Nehti looked serious. "The cells are not designed for human physiology. If Ianto tries anymore, he'll end up in cells that will kill him."

"We need to get him out of there." Jack's mouth tightened. He still wasn't sure about how Ianto would react to him, but he couldn't bear the thought of Ianto dying again because of Jack's mistakes. He should have never left Earth.

"We will. Just give me a bit more time." Nehti looked at both men. "We've come this far, we aren't leaving without him."


	55. Chapter 54

Chapter 54

The days passed slowly as the Doctor and Jack waited for Nehti to gain enough information for them to break Ianto out. The prison colony was surprisingly autonomous, seemingly unaffected by events back home on Paxtia. It made things more difficult; it's far easier to make someone disappear from a prison when the guards are distracted.

Both Jack and the Doctor chafed under the demands of extended inactivity. Both had spent too many years of their lives keeping busy to keep thoughts at bay and could not comfortably relax. The Doctor expended his excess energy by systematically dismantling and rebuilding portions of his ship.

Jack spent his time less productively, obsessing over the state of Ianto's mental health the longer they took to rescue him. He had researched the drug they were using extensively which, while heartbreaking, had given him the knowledge necessary to purge it from Ianto's system. He had then vacillated over whether or not ot select a room near his own or make room for Ianto in his. He wanted to support Ianto as he recovered from his ordeal on the planet below but he wasn't sure how welcome he would be. If Ianto didn't despise him yet, he certainly would after he learned about everything Jack had done in the days and years following Ianto's presumed death. Finally, he settled on a room two doors down, close enough to e available if needed but not invasively near. He tried to make the room as warm and comfortable as he could, wanting it to be as little like a cell as possible. The TARDIS had different plans, however. By the time Jack had organized Ianto's room, the devious ship had replicated his efforts for Ianto in his own room as well. Jack shook his head with a wishful smile upon seeing it before setting about making the medical bay welcoming.

When Nehti next contacted them, they were both grateful for the distraction. Unfortunately, her news was not as encouraging as they had hoped. The minute they saw her face, they knew that something had gone wrong.

"My predecessor is recovering nicely and should be back on duty in two days." Her mouth twisted wryly. "My services will no longer be required when he returns."

"Bugger." The word was out before the Doctor could stop it but he seemed unrepentant. "That will definitely make things more difficult for us."

Jack agreed. "Have you had any luck getting close to him?" he asked her.

She nodded. "But it's not good. He doesn't register my presence and he hardly touches his food."

"We would have needed to act sooner rather than later anyway." Jack sighed. "Contact us this time tomorrow. We'll have a plan then."

The Doctor looked slightly surprised at this but didn't contradict him.

"Will that be enough time?" Nehti seemed doubtful.

"It'll have to be." Jack gave her a tight smile before cutting the transmission. He turned to the Doctor. "Time to get to work."

Nehti carried the thin metal tray down the hallway, sweat trickling down her face. It really was unbearably hot down here. She took a moment, balancing the tray containing a bowl of some sort of nutritional supplement on one hand and wiping her face with her sleeve, before continuing on. If she were honest with herself, she was also reacting to nerves. The last plan she and the Doctor had carried out involved her imprisonment. There wasn't any room for error if they wanted to get Ianto out of this place alive. She shifted the tray again and reached in her pocket, fishing out a Yale key on a bit of ribbon. She was loathe to part with it, finding it almost like some sort of talisman. Like she was safe as long as she had it with her. This was more important than her superstitions though. She tucked it under the scrap of rough cloth to be used as a napkin before having second thoughts. She would have to risk putting it some place visible on the tray and hope he saw it. He would never find it if she hid it. If he didn't get it, she would be gone before the guard collecting trays would come by.

There were far too many ways that this plan could go wrong but she supposed it was the best they had to offer under such constraints.

She opened the cell door, once again noticing that they didn't even bother to lock him in. Walking in, she saw him on the floor, arms covering his head. She glanced around nervously but decided to risk it. She whispered over to him, "Ianto Jones. Check the tray. We're going to get you out." She wasn't sure if he had heard her but couldn't stay any longer. She turned and exited the room hurriedly and hoped for the best.

An hour later, Nehti was transported back on the TARDIS and joined the two other men in the console room.

"Did you get the key to him?" Jack couldn't conceal the worry in his tone.

"Of course I did! I just hope he takes it." She looked over at the Doctor. "How much longer are we going to wait?"

"The TARDIS should lock onto the key any minute now. Once she does, she'll be able to materialize him in this room with the key in had."

"And if he doesn't have the key?"

"It'll come without him." None of them wanted to think about what would happen next if their plan failed. It would be much more difficult to mount a second attempt.

Nehti felt the air grow warmer. "What?"

"It's the TARDIS. It's working." Jack stared in rapt attention where a huddled human body began to appear on the floor. Once he was fully present, Jack and the Doctor ran over to him.

"He's alive," the Doctor informed them grimly. "It's a start. Help me get him to the medical bay."


	56. Chapter 55

Chapter 55

Ianto's mind was in a fog. Finding himself too drained to even open his eyes, he struggled to remember where he was but came up blank. He felt someone stroking back his hair and tried to smile in enjoyment.

"He's awake!" a man cried out excitedly.

"Give him a moment to come to," another voice rebuked the first.

He fought to open his eyes but shut them again against the bright lights shining in his face. Taking a breath, he tried again. As his vision adjusted, he made out the Doctor, Nehti and Jack. His eyes widened in shock.

"You're really here."

"Yeah." Jack gave him a nervous smile. "You scared us."

Ianto thought a moment, disjointed memories of his imprisonment filtering though his mind. "I'm so glad that you came for me. I don't know how much more of that I could have stood."

"Not much." The Doctor studied him intently. "But you should fully recover. I think an extended holiday is just what you need." He nodded decisively.

Once the Doctor and Jack had reassured themselves that Ianto would be fine, Nehti jumped in between them and crushed Ianto in a hug. "I was so worried about you! I'm sorry!" She clung to him desperately.

"You did a great job," he murmured into her hair. "Thank you."

Nehti sniffed before letting go and taking a couple steps back. She wiped the tears from her face and gave him a tremulous smile.

"Now, I think rest is in order," the Doctor put a comforting arm around Nehti. "You can either stay here or go to your room, you're choice."

Ianto hesitated and looked at Jack. He wasn't sure what to make of this reunion. What he really wanted was Jack but had Jack moved on?

Jack seemed to understand Ianto's reticence. "Let him stay here for a bit longer to regain his strength. I'll help him if he decided to leave here."

The Doctor didn't question this decision, instead turning around with Nehti and guiding her to the kitchen for tea.

Jack sat down next to the bed and looked at Ianto. He frowned as he realized that Ianto was afraid to look at him. Ianto sat picking apart the blanket laying across his lap. Before he stopped to second guess himself, Jack reached across and placed his hand on Ianto's. The silence between them remained awkward, but no longer seemed quite so dangerous. Jack wanted to savor the moment, the feeling of belonging that being in Ianto's presence brought him but felt the words clawing up his throat. He struggled to make them coherent, staring down at their entwined hands.

"I'm sorry. I should have never approached the 456 like that. I should have never brought you with me. I should have…" Ianto removed his hands from Jack's and his voice broke. Before he could continue to apologize, Ianto grasped his head firmly and forced him to look Ianto in the eye.

"I don't blame you," he told Jack firmly. "I never have. I wouldn't have expected anything less from you and I don't regret any of it." Ianto willed Jack to believe him and, in sheer desperation, Jack accepted his words.

"Thank you," he whispered. He savored the moment before speaking again. He swallowed deeply. "What do you know about after you died?"

"Nothing. It didn't matter. It still doesn't."

"It does," Jack disagreed. "I found a way to reverse the transmission and destroy them." He glanced up and saw Ianto looking at him calmly. "It meant using a child as an amplifier, which was fatal."

"Who was the child, Jack."

Jack struggled to answer. "Steven."

"Oh, cariad." Ianto's heart broke at the answer. He couldn't even imagine how painful that was for Jack.

"My daughter hates me now. She won't even be in the same room as me. I was barred from the funeral." Jack recited these facts tonelessly, afraid to see Ianto's face. It would be one rejection too many.

He needn't have worried. Ianto couldn't blame him for the decisions he had made. "I wasn't there, I don't know exactly what happened. But I know how dire the situation was before I died. And I trust you to have done everything you could have. I'm not going to judge you on those actions. And I don't want you to feel the need to atone for anything you've done since then," he cut off Jack's next words. "We have the rest of our lives to catch up. I just want you, here and now, with me."

In his best, more hopeful moments, he had never expected Ianto to respond so well. His throat closed with the strength of the emotions coursing through him and he let the tears flow freely. Feeling Ianto's comforting embrace only caused him to sob harder, so indescribably thankful for this second chance.


	57. Chapter 56

Chapter 56

After Jack had calmed down, Ianto spent several more minutes rubbing his back before speaking again. "Not to ruin the moment or anything, but I'd rather like to get out of the medical bay."

"Oh! Of course you would. Sorry." Jack looked at him embarrassed. "I, erm, wasn't sure if you would want to sleep in your room here. It's a bit…clinical." He stopped to gauge Ianto's reaction before continuing. "I organized another room for you, one that I think would fit your tastes."

Ianto smiled at his thoughtfulness and started to speak but Jack didn't give him the opportunity. "I know that it's been a long time and my memory probably isn't perfect so if you don't like it or I got it all wrong, I'll understand."

Ianto looked at him appraisingly. "How long has it been for you?"

"I haven't keep track…a couple thousand years."

It took a moment for Ianto to speak, grieving over all the time he missed and pain Jack had endured. "I will love whatever you arranged for me but…" At that, Jack looked crestfallen. Ianto hastened to finish, "I'd rather stay with you."

At this, Jack looked dumbfounded. "Are you sure? Maybe you should take some time to think things over?" The minute he saw the flash of temper in Ianto's eyes, he knew that he had made a mistake.

"Think what over?" he asked in a dangerous tone. "I know what you've done and it doesn't matter to me. Are _you_ having second thoughts?"

"No! Never! I don't want to pressure you into accepting something that you shouldn't."

"Cariad, I know you too well to reject you. I love you. I meant what I had told you."

Jack looked like he was going to fall to pieces again. "I love you, too. I'm sorry I never said it earlier."

"It's okay." Ianto's smile was brilliant. "You made me feel it enough. Now help me find your room."

It turned out that Ianto wasn't as weak as Jack thought he would be. He was able to make his way through the TARDIS with little effort but allowed Jack to fuss over him for now. He knew that the other man needed it and that he would put a stop to it in a day or so.

Stepping into Jack's room, Ianto was taken aback.

"Yeah…the TARDIS thought that my room could do with some of what I set up for you. Is it okay?"

"It's perfect," Ianto breathed and it was. It seemed that Jack had remembered every detail of what Ianto had liked and planned to do to his own flat and recreated it for him. He walked his way to the large bed and sank down into the pillows. "Utterly perfect," he repeated blissfully. Jack felt like his heart would burst just looking at him.

As they settled in and Ianto curled up under the duvet, Jack gave into his curiosity, even though he wasn't sure of Ianto's response.

"Ianto?"

"Hmm?"

When we thought you were dead, Gwen went to talk to your sister."

"Oh."

"She told us that your father wasn't really a tailor. Why did you feel like you had to lie?"

Ianto shifted, visibly discomfited. He had hoped to never have to have this conversation with Jack but knew that it was now unavoidable. "I didn't do it out of malice," he cautioned. "I just didn't want anyone to know the truth."

"That you grew up on an estate?"

"Partially," he admitted then swallowed deeply. "My mother was young when she met my father, had us, Rhiannon and me, not long after. My grandparents made them get married and she dropped out of school to care for us. Dad always resented us, blamed Mam for trapping him and us for being needy."

Jack did not let his emotions show on his face. "Was he violent?"

"Yes." They sat in silence for a moment. "Mam left when I was 8 and hasn't made any contact since.. My grandparents helped out quite a bit but we were left with Dad for the most part. I couldn't wait to get away from him. I wanted noting to do with him or anything about him, including the council estate. I knew if I talked about him that it would bring up the past so I created a new history for me, one different from the truth so that I could forget it."

"It isn't that easy," Jack commented ruefully.

"No, but I enjoyed it while it lasted."

"Yeah." Jack climbed up into the bed and wrapped himself around Ianto. "Is he still alive?"

"No, thank God. There's nothing left of him."

"Good." After a moment Jack added, "Thank you for telling me."

"It's not something that I like to talk about, or have other people know," Ianto cautioned.

"I'll not tell a soul," Jack promised and then asked the TARDIS to dim the lights. "It's just ours."

They let the hum of the TARDIS lull them to sleep.


	58. Chapter 57

Chapter 57

Nehti walked into the console room and saw the Doctor brooding in the darkened room.

"What's wrong?" As far as she was concerned, things had ended up surprisingly well. There had been several points along the way when she was certain it would all fall apart but they were on the other side.

"I didn't see it. It had been so long since I had seen Jack, and it was so subtle that I didn't notice that it was permanent." He didn't look like he was going to explain on his own so Nehti prompted him.

"What is permanent and what does Jack have to do with it?"

"Jack's immortal because the Time Vortex was used to bring him back to life and, although she had good intentions, she didn't understand what she was doing and made it permanent. Made him a fixed point in time and space." Nehti wondered who "she" was but didn't want to distract him. "I used the Time Vortex to save Ianto but I've done the same thing. It isn't as strong as it is with Jack, which is why it took me so long to notice it, but the outcome is no different."

"And that is a bad thing," Nehti ventured.

"It should be. They are both impossible things. Fixed points in time and space. It's wrong." He shook his head. "I can't undo it. They will survive as long as time."

"But?"

"It means that Jack is no longer alone. And having suffered that loneliness for so long, I can't begrudge him it. But what will they think?"

"You didn't do it intentionally. It wasn't your fault that the TARDIS sometimes has a mind of her own," Nehti soothed.

The Doctor looked up in shock, faster than she had seen him move in quite some time. "How do you know that it's the TARDIS?"

"Because you would have calculated to avoid that problem and she does tend to ignore your intentions for her own purposes," Nehti said fondly. "Don't blame yourself."

The Doctor sighed and rested his head on her shoulder. "I'm so glad I found you."

"Me too."

After several quiet moments, the Doctor strengthened his resolve and rose to his feet. "Might as well get this over with. Put on the kettle?"

Nehti nodded and made her way to the kitchen while the Doctor slowly walked down to Jack's room. The corridor seemed simultaneously endless and entirely too short. Standing at the door, he listened closely, trying to discern any hint that he should put off this conversation. No such luck. He knocked on the door, wondering at feeling like he could trespass on his own ship. Imagine!

Before his thoughts could go too far in that direction, Jack opened the door and gestured for him to enter. Ianto sat up in the bed, thankfully fully dressed, and Jack sat down next to him. They both looked at him expectantly.

"What's the occasion, Doctor?" Jack asked in a deceptively casual tone.

The Doctor looked nervously at the floor, his eyes flickered up before studying the pattern of the rug once again. "There…ah…was a…erm…slight side effect from reviving you. Or, I suppose, more accurately, keeping you alive. That is, you aren't likely to drop any time soon, it's nothing like that," he hastened to add, seeing their faces. "In fact, such an event probably won't happen for a good long time, not that it'll matter, of course."

"Doctor," Jack said through gritted teeth, with the exaggerated patience that prolonged exposure to his 10th incarnation had gifted him. "What _exactly_ is the side effect and what are we going to do about it?"

"When I used the Time Vortex to keep you alive, the TARDIS must have interfered. It's still in you, like it is in Jack. I won't be able to fix it. I'm sorry."

Ianto looked thunderstruck. "So I can't die, like Jack."

"No, you can die. But you can't stay dead," the Doctor thoughtlessly corrected him.

"How permanent is this?" Jack asked anxiously.

"Completely. It is no different than what Rose did to you on the Game Station." He looked at both of them. "I'll leave you two to think this over. I'll be around if you need me for anything."

He closed the door behind him before making his way to the kitchen for a much-needed cup of tea.


	59. Chapter 58

Chapter 58

Both Jack and Ianto looked at the closed door in shock. A tense silence slowly filled the room. Neither man wanted to look at the other, afraid of each other's reactions to the news.

Jack was the first to speak. "Ianto? Are you okay?"

"I don't know. I think so. It's just…odd. How do you feel about it?"

"I wouldn't have wanted this for you," Jack looked at him earnestly before adding, "but part of me is pleased because it means that I'll never have to lose you again."

"I know what you mean." Ianto smiled at him tentatively. "I can't say that I'm disappointed at the prospect of being with you forever."

Jack leaned over and gave him a deep kiss. "I love you."

"I love you,too, Jack." Ianto felt slightly overwhelmed by the news but knew that any uncertainty on his part would only hurt Jack. He now had plenty of time to adjust, and with Jack, he had no fears about the future.

They lay in each other's arms, both thinking over the new futures that had suddenly opened up to them. As the TARDIS hummed comfortingly around them, Ianto struggled to understand the magnitude of forever while Jack basked in the knowledge that he would never again have to lose Ianto.

After a few hours, Ianto suddenly stood and stretched. "I'm getting a crick in my neck from laying for so long. Fancy something to eat?"

Walking to the kitchen, they noticed that the Doctor and Nehti were no where to be found. Throwing together a few sandwiches on a plate, Ianto gave Jack a sly smile before removing a box of Jaffa Cakes from the back of the top cupboard. He was amused to note that Jack was no longer looking at him, his eyes fixed on the small package.

"I haven't had those in so long, I can't remember how they taste. But I can remember that I loved them," Jack explained.

"Well, that is easily remedied," Ianto smiled. "Of course, this is the last box I brought with me. We haven't found any other planets that do a proper approximation of Jaffa Cakes."

"You won't." Jack returned the smile. "Some things are just best left to Earth."

"When do you think we should go back?" Ianto mumbled around a mouthful of bread and salad. He stopped chewing when he saw the color drain from Jack's face.

"Never." Jack was resolute.

"Why not?" Ianto had swallowed his food and fixed Jack with a hard look. "I know it's been a long time for you, but Earth is still my home. Besides, they need us. Torchwood needs you."

Jack sighed. Having lost his appetite, he returned the biscuit to the box. "I don't mind going back to Earth, I suppose. But I don't want to return to Torchwood. Ever." He saw the look on Ianto's face and knew that further explanation would be necessary. "You've seen my file, I was forced to join Torchwood, I was forced to take leadership, and in return Torchwood destroyed so many parts of me. It caused me to send people to their deaths, to watch you die, to kill my grandson. Nothing good has come from Torchwood and I don't want to walk back into that nightmare." Jack's eyes were fixed firmly on the table in front of him, his fists clenched.

Ianto reached over and took Jack's hands into his own. "You're right. You've suffered too much because of Torchwood. But it can change, it can be different this time. You won't be alone. The Doctor has learned his lesson about shirking responsibility. We now know what a huge impact our work has on the universe. We can do good." Ianto spoke with a quiet intensity. "But, as I said, you're right. And I love you too much to try to force you to do something that you are not comfortable with."

"Thank you." Jack still looked down at the table. Sighing in resignation, Ianto moved to the seat beside him and wrapped his arms around Jack. There was no rush to make a decision anytime soon. Ianto could wait for Jack as long as necessary so long as they were together.


	60. Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Six days later, Jack and Ianto had arrived at a tenuous, unspoken agreement. Neither mentioned leaving the TARDIS and Jack did his best to distract Ianto from his sudden sleepless nights in the best way Jack knew how.

It was after breakfast when all four occupants of the TARDIS happened upon each other in the TARDIS library. The Doctor, feeling quite uncomfortable around the two immortals, had done his best to give the two of them their space and adjust to one another again. Nehti, not understanding is reasons, followed his lead. However, enough time had passed that the Doctor felt it was necessary to force the issue. Now they were all together and the Doctor wasted no time.

"So, when are we taking you back to Cardiff?" The Doctor looked between Jack and Ianto expectantly.

Ianto froze at the causal mention of the topic that he and Jack had been working so hard to avoid. He glanced over at Jack and winced at the cold look on his face.

"We weren't planning on returning. At least, not anytime in the foreseeable future," Jack amended, remembering their conversation the other day. The last thing he wanted was for Ianto to think that he didn't appreciate Ianto's desires.

The Doctor frowned deeply at this pronouncement. "But you must. The whole purpose of finding you was to take you back to Cardiff so you could…so both of you could rebuild Torchwood and continue your work defending Earth."

Ianto cleared his throat. "My purpose was to find Jack. Although I have no objection to returning to Torchwood, it is Jack's decision on what he wants to do. We can't make it for him."

"If Jack doesn't return, then all our efforts was for nothing. Not that I'm sorry to have saved you," the Doctor quickly corrected. "But fixing the timelines was the main goal. If the two of you do not rebuild Torchwood, than nothing will return to the way that it is supposed to be. Surely you've noticed that the universe is a much different place than you were taught, Jack."

Jack nodded slowly. "But how do you know that Torchwood is the key to changing that?"

"The histories. Torchwood is in history, rather prominently in fact. That was the common thread in our investigation. It's part of how we knew that we needed to go back and save Ianto." Nehti hesitated, unsure of what was safe to divulge.

Jack closed his eyes and reviewed his knowledge of history from the Time Agency. "Surely there is another way."

"No." The Doctor was resolute. "Some events have to happen for history, for the universe, to unfold as it should. This is one of them."

Jack dropped his head in defeat. "We lost everything in the explosion." Jack's use of the possessive was lost on no one.

"That's no problem!" The Doctor smiled brightly. "I got a good look around not too long ago about your archives. The TARDIS has a copy of the mainframe and records and I'm pretty sure I have some extras of the more useful junk you lot had accumulated, if you want it, although I don't know why you would. I'll even toss in some equipment to help you get started again."

"And the Hub?" Ianto's brow furrowed in concentration.

"It obviously wasn't the only property that Torchwood owned. If you can find interim premises, I'm sure we can find and set up a new headquarters.

Jack gave Ianto a helpless look. "It seems that we're going back to Torchwood."

"Yes, sir," Ianto answered with a smile.

"So, when are we taking you back to Cardiff?" The Doctor repeated.

"A week?" Ianto hazarded.

"Right, then. Let's get to work." The Doctor strode out of the room in a flurry of excitement with Nehti close behind, leaving Jack and Ianto left to contemplate the sudden plans they were left to make.


	61. Chapter 60

Chapter 60

Cardiff, Wales, Great Britain

April 8, 2011

"Nehti! Behind you!"

Nehti turned around just in time to be knocked to the ground by a large, hairy alien. Spittle dripped on her face as she fought to keep the dirty, sharp teeth from tearing out her throat.

"Hurry…" she gasped out as she struggled to breathe. The thud of a heavy branch against the skull of the weevil echoed through the dark park before the weevil rolled off her and went after its new attacker. Before it had a chance to jump Jack, the Doctor hurried over with a can of weevil spray and incapacitated the creature. Nehti grimaced as she tried to brush the muck off her coat.

"Well, that could have gone worse," Jack announced with an infectious grin.

"Indeed," Ianto answered with significantly less enthusiasm.

"I know, I know. We need to assemble a new team. I'm working on it."

"No," Ianto argued. "You are letting the CVs I've been collecting from qualified candidates accumulate on your desk." He gave Jack a rueful smile. "Fine. We'll manage."

Walking back to the warehouse they had set up shop in, they passed by a series of cafes and kebab shops. After passing a particularly bright shop with windows full of sweets, they heard a familiar voice.

"Jack? Ianto?" the voice called out with incredulity.

The Doctor looked at them both in confusion before turning to see the dark-haired woman with a prominent gap between her front teeth running to Ianto and smothering him in a hug.

"Gwen." Jack's voice lacked any measure of warmth.

"Oh my God! What happened? You were dead! And you!" she turned to Jack. "You just left us! What are you doing here?"

"Well, he came back," Ianto began. A moment passed before he finished. "And I got better."

"You got better?" Gwen's voice was dubious.

"Yes, that is exactly what happened!" The Doctor broke in. "Hello, I'm the Doctor."

"Gwen Cooper." She took his hand with awe. "So, does this mean Torchwood is back?"

"Yes. We're still getting our feet under us, but we're certainly back in business." Ianto looked over her shoulder and saw Rhys standing in the doorway of the shop with a pram beside him.

Gwen's eyes narrowed. "Why didn't you call me?" she asked Jack accusingly. "You know I would have come to help. I _begged_ you to stay."

"This isn't your life anymore, Gwen." Jack tried to infuse his voice with compassion. "You have a child to take care of. There isn't room in your life for both, we understand that."

"There can be! I managed to have a life outside of Torchwood before. I want to help make the earth safe for my daughter. I want to help."

"I'm sorry. But you can't come back. We're starting over and there isn't room for you anymore." Jack held her gaze for a moment to underscore his seriousness before turning away. Ianto feebly patted her shoulder before turning to join Jack. She may never understand, but it was for the best. She couldn't take the same risks that they could. She would be too much of a liability in the field. Hopefully, Rhys could help her accept it.

"Bloody hell!" Nehti exclaimed, scanning more news reports on her computer. "Someone is really going overboard on stealing sheep up north."

"That bad?" Ianto asked politely.

"Every other day is a new report of a missing sheep. A few people have even blamed a giant flying bird. Makes you wonder what is going on." She didn't notice that Jack and Ianto's attention had become more acute.

"You don't think…" Jack looked at Ianto.

"It fits. She did like sheep before we caught her." Ianto concluded.

"Am I missing something?" Nehti looked at the both of them in confusion.

"Pet dinosaur."

"Pterosaur," Ianto corrected. "Her name is Myfanwy. I didn't think she survived the destruction of the Hub."

"Neither did I," Jack commented. He smiled, "Nehti, grab some chocolate. We have a dino…pterosaur to rescue."

Shrugging on his coat, Jack walked out to the car with an arm slung around Ianto's shoulders. It was time for a trip north to reclaim their sheep-stealing, wayward pet. Jack laughed. He couldn't remember why he had been so resistant to returning to Earth. He had Ianto. He was able to make Torchwood 3 what he had always planned it to be. And now they had Myfanwy to rescue from herself, together. He was finally home.

* * *

I would like to thank everyone who has read and enjoyed this story. The kind reviews and encouragement have meant the world and am sad that this story is over. It's been a long time since I've posted fanfiction and doing this (nearly) everyday was definitely an endurance test that I never would have survived without such a wonderful fandom. Thank you!


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